


Say You Won't Let Go

by ElleMalfoy65



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Complete, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-28 08:55:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 83,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10082381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElleMalfoy65/pseuds/ElleMalfoy65
Summary: Draco has wanted Hermione for a long time, just never wanted to admit it. When Hermione catches Ron in bed with another woman, will Draco finally get his chance? Can he respect her wishes unlike Ron?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So, I did better than I thought I would on my self control. I guess I have Soul Bound to thank for that. When I set out writing this fic, it was untitled and had no real direction. When I had the first few chapters done, I found my awesome beta, Frogster. But I had already decided to wait until I had 10 chapters written and beta'd to post. I will, however be posting one chapter weekly. I made it to nine. But Soul Bound allowed me to write and post immediately while continuing to keep my promise to myself on this one. So, with no further blubbering on my part. I give you, chapter one of Say You Won't Let Go.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!

The Daily Prophet was calling it, “The Wedding of the Century!” But to Hermione, it was just her best friend's wedding. As she stood beside Ginny, holding not one, but two bouquets, she couldn't help the stray tears that leaked down her cheeks. The innate happiness she felt hadn't left her since the war had ended, and seeing Harry so unbelievably happy only continued the elation. Around her, the crowd erupted in cheers and catcalls as Harry dipped Ginny back and kissed her soundly. There was a loud bang as George’s fireworks display lit up the late July night sky, the glittering embers spelling out, NOW PRESENTING: MR AND MRS. HARRY POTTER!, for all of the guests to see. The newlyweds danced down the aisle laughing the whole way as the wedding party followed. Hermione gave Ron a bashful smile as she walked next to him after the couple. It had been over two years since the war had ended, and they still hadn't discussed the only kiss they had ever shared.

As Ron gave her an awkward smile, she started to open her mouth and say something but Ginny snagged her away. “Hermione, we have to go and take pictures now!” Hermione barely held back her groan. They had already taken pictures before the ceremony, sans Harry. What with the no seeing the bride before the wedding, thing. Which she didn't understand at all, well, okay maybe she did. She was just tired of the starburst of lights the flashes left on the back of her eyelids for minutes after.

A round of fake smiles and awkward poses later, Hermione was finally free and she went into the large tent set up for the reception. As she had predicted, Ron had already made his way to the buffet table, loading a plate high with food. Her heart skipped in her chest at the sight of her childhood crush. She cleared her throat and grinned sheepishly, “Hi, Ron.” He startled, almost dropping his plate, a baby carrot rolling free and falling into the grass. He already had a mouthful of something and as he moved the half-chewed food to his cheek, he managed another awkward smile, “Hey, ‘Mione.”

“Beautiful ceremony, wasn't it?” She picked at an invisible fiber on her dress, mentally kicking herself at her question. Why in Merlin’s beard was she so awkward around him now? He dipped his head in a nod, “It was.” They turned and walked towards their designated seats and sat down among the other guests. Hermione felt like there were a million butterflies in her stomach as she watched her other best friend shove food into his mouth. “Listen, Ron. I, er, I know we haven't talked about it much, but, um…” When she realized he wasn't listening, she sighed and reached up to smack him on the back of his head. “Would you quit stuffing your face you, git? I'm trying to talk to you!” And just like that, his familiar shocked expression drained the nerves right out of her. “It's been two years since our kiss, Ron! And we haven't even talked about it!” 

He blinked myopically at her, his mouth hanging open, bits of chicken clinging to the corners of his lips. She rolled her eyes and handed him a linen napkin, watching as he wiped his mouth. “I, uh, we...well, shit, Hermione. I didn't know. You didn't say anything, so I didn't say anything. We've all been busy rebuilding the wizarding world. You went back to Hogwarts, and I went into my auror training. We can talk about it now.” Though he didn't look entirely comfortable with the idea of it. In fact, he looked positively green at the mere mention of it.

Which stung, tears prickling at Hermione’s eyes quickly. She ducked her head so that he wouldn't notice and spoke, “Was it just a spur of the moment thing, or was there more to it?” She had changed a lot since the end of the war. Normally, she would have met him eye to eye when asking this question, but now, she couldn't bring herself to lift her head. “I don't know, ‘Mione. I guess a bit of both. Bloody hell, we were in the middle of a battle. Neither of us knew if we'd survive and we both needed a connection of some kind. I mean, I'd be a right git, if I didn't say I was completely daft for not realizing you had, have,” at this point he gave her a questioning look, “feelings for me.”

She stared at the man in front of her, drinking in his familiar features. From the freckles dusted across his cheeks, to the light red eyelashes framing his blue eyes. The look in them so sincere that she couldn't help but feel that familiar quiver in her gut, and squeeze of her heart. “I do still have feelings for you, Ronald Weasley. But the real question is, do you reciprocate those feelings?” Hermione had to bite back the giggle as she watched the wheels turning as he searched for the definition of the big word in his brain. His shoulders lifted in a shrug, but he gave her a light smile, “That's not a question I can answer easily, because we both know I have the emotional range of a teaspoon.” He winked at her and continued, “But how about we try? Hermione Granger, would you like to go out on a date with me?”

As her giggles died down from their joke and the realization of his question dawned on her, the goofy grin on her face slowly faded into a radiant smile that lit up her face. “Why yes, I do believe that I would like that, Ronald Weasley.” He smiled his familiar lopsided grin at her and returned to his plate of food. “‘Morrow good?” He asked around a fresh mouthful of food. Would he ever learn table manners? Hermione rolled her eyes. “Yes, tomorrow is good.” She still couldn't wipe the smile off of her face, even if he was being a bit of a prat about setting up their first date. But after almost a decade of friendship, she was used to it. It was just Ron. “Great. I'll pick you up at 7 then.” He looked over at her, before turning and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

She could feel the blush blooming from her chest and working it's way up her neck and into her face, which she hid in her hands. Ron didn't notice though, because he had immediately tucked back into his food. When she looked up, Ginny caught her eye and gave her a questioning look with a tilt of her head. Hermione mouthed at her, Later. As Ginny nodded and returned to her food and talking to Harry with a lovesick expression, Hermione got up to make herself a plate of food. In her head, she was mentally rehearsing her maid of honor speech that would be given when most everyone had finished eating.

An hour later, Hermione looked around and saw that nearly everyone, save Ron, had finished and rose from her chair. As she cast a Sonorous charm on herself, she cleared her throat. “May I have everyone's attention, please?” She waited for the last of the chatter to die down as she smiled a little nervously at everyone. “Thank you. On behalf of our newlyweds behind me,” she turned and smiled at Harry and Ginny, gesturing to them, “we would like to thank you for coming to celebrate. We hope you enjoyed your dinner and there's still a lot of fun to be had. Now, as maid of honor, Ginny thought it would be fun to torture me and make me give a speech.” At this point, she gave a pointed look at her red-headed friend who had the decency to blush.

“While I may have been, well, I still am, really, a know-it-all as so many have put it, I absolutely loathe public speaking. But, since it is for this very special occasion, I decided to suck it up.” There were laughs and chuckles from the crowd at this point and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. “Ginny, while it took us a while to form the friendship we have now, I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world. You have been my rock when Harry couldn't be, or when he didn't want to be…” she gave Harry a pointed look, who groaned and hid his face, then a wink at Ginny, who giggled.

“And I couldn't be more grateful for that. With that being said, as of tonight, I am officially handing off the torch. It's now your responsibility to keep him from being a git and getting himself killed.” The crowd roared with laughter behind her as Harry blushed from their table. “Harry, my dear friend.” Hermione’s eyes started to mist over as she turned away from the crowd to face her best friend. Their eyes locked and she took a deep breath, “No one here, can know the depth behind the friendship that you, Ron and I have. A friendship that has stood the most trying and stressful tests. We have been through so much together, and to see you come through it the way you did, with my help of course.” The guests laughed again behind her back, but she was oblivious to it, as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. She jumped when she felt an arm slide around her shoulders, looking to her left, she smiled up at Ron and leaned into his side, grateful for his support.

She only just now realized she was shaking. “To see you now, so happy and...and free. Harry, this is the greatest blessing that anyone could ever ask for…” She had to stop again, the only sounds audible were the sounds of the insects in the night. At this point, Harry stood up from his seat and came to her, wrapping her in a hug. Ron lifted his wand and whispered, “Finite Incantatem.” With the Sonorous charm lifted, Hermione’s choked sob was lost in the collar of Harry’s dress robes. “I love you, Harry. I'm so happy for you.” She felt his lips against her temple in a gentle kiss. “I love you too, ‘Mione. I wouldn't be here without you. Thank you.”

A half hour later, it was time for Harry and Ginny’s first dance. The music started and Ron scooted his chair closer to Hermione’s. As his arm draped across her shoulders, she tried not to smile like a loon. She rested her head on his shoulder as she watched her friends move around the dance floor to their chosen song. Soft applause sounded as the music came to a close and other couples made their way onto the parquet floor. Hermione felt Ron's nose against the top of her head, her ear vibrating as his voice rumbled in his chest, “Would you like to dance?”

She sat up in surprise and looked over at him. “Really?” When he simply nodded, her smile grew. “I would love to.” He stood, his hand extended, waiting for her. Hermione raised her head, brown eyes meeting blue, butterflies taking flight in her stomach as she placed her hand in his and stood. She let Ron lead her to the dance floor, as they came face to face, her cheeks flushed.

Her nerves had kicked in again now, they had never been in such an intimate position. One of his large hands came to rest on her hip, the other grasping her hand. She placed her free hand on his shoulder and he started to move them around the dance floor. She was pleasantly surprised at how well he danced. He was so gangly that sometimes he could be quite uncoordinated. Her face must have betrayed her surprise because he mumbled, “Mum made us all take lessons before the wedding.” She laughed softly, how could she have missed that? It must have been while she and Ginny were doing the planning. “Well, you're doing brilliant.” She could feel many pairs of eyes on them as they moved about the floor, her blush returning to her cheeks.

Ron's hand slid around from her waist to the small of her back, pulling her closer, he lifted the hand he was holding, placing it around his neck. His now freed hand moving to join the other, and Hermione linked her hands behind his neck, resting her head on his chest. The music drifted into a more up tempo song, but she and Ron never changed their pace. Instead, they just made a slow turn in the same spot they were occupying, lost in their own world as she listened to the steady beating of his heart.

A few songs later, Hermione jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder, her eyes flying open to look at who had touched her, but it was Harry, who chuckled at her startled expression. “Sorry, but mind if I cut in, Ron?” He asked, looking up at his best friend. Ron shook his head and handed Hermione off, “It's my turn to dance with my sister anyway.” Ron leaned in and kissed Hermione’s forehead before going to cut in on Ginny and George. Harry placed his hands on her waist as they started to dance in time with the moderately paced song with a smirk on his face. “Someone looked content.” Hermione flushed a deep red and mumbled, “He's taking me on a date tomorrow night.” Harry blinked, clearly astonished. “Well it's about time, the thick-headed git. I'm happy for the two of you. It's been a long time coming for the both of you. Besides, you've not been the same since the war. Ginny and I worry about you.”

Hermione sighed and rested her head on Harry’s shoulder. “I know. It's like the war took all of the confidence I had and just stripped it away. I mean, I failed to keep my parents safe, Harry. I charmed their memories, made them forget me. They were supposed to go to Australia, and build a new life…” She trailed off, not able to finish what she was saying. But Harry knew. Instead of leaving immediately, like she had hoped they would, they'd taken a week to put the house up for sale and pack all of their necessary belongings. The day before their departure, Death Eaters had found them, and tortured them for information about Hermione.

When it had become evident to them that her parents had been memory charmed, they tried to reverse the charm unsuccessfully, which had driven her parents mad. Much like had happened to Neville’s parents, when Bellatrix had tortured them with the Cruciatus. Then, when they weren't useful to Voldemort any longer, they were killed. Hermione was grateful though, that she hadn't learned of this until after the war had ended.

“Shhh, Hermione. You tried. You did what you could. It wasn't your fault that they didn't leave right away.” His hand had moved up to rub her back gently. “Don't think about that now. Think about tomorrow. You're going to have a great time. Now, you'd better go and dance with my wife. She's been chomping at the bit to find out why you and Ron have been so touchy tonight.” Hermione laughed as Harry released her with a kiss to her cheek and shooed her off in the direction of said red-head who was giving her pointed looks. But instead of staying on the dance floor, the two women moved to a couple of abandoned chairs.

Ginny didn't waste a moment, “Spill.” It seemed as if all Hermione could do tonight was blush. “We're going on a date tomorrow night.” The high pitched squeal emitted from the girl had Hermione covering her ears and grimacing. “It's about bloody time! He's such an arse! I've been nagging at him for two years! TWO YEARS!” Hermione laughed hard. “Harry said the same thing. Well, that it was about time. Wait...you have?” Ginny nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! I'm not the only one either! Mum has too.” “Well, your nagging didn't work all that well, since I'm the one who broached the subject basically.” Ginny’s jaw dropped. “You asked him? That...that...PRAT!” Hermione snorted and shook her head. “No, he actually asked me. But I'm the one that brought up the fact that we had never talked about our kiss. We both said we had feelings for each other and that we would try our hand at something and he asked me for a date.” Ginny shook her head with a grin. “At least he finally got the bullocks to ask. Even if you did have to basically persuade him into it.”

Hermione glanced out at the dance floor where Ron, Harry, George and a number of her other male ex-school mates were in the middle, dancing like wild men and laughed. “Yes, well, in between stuffing his face with chicken and potatoes. But it wouldn't have been Ron if he hadn't.” Ginny followed her gaze, a snort of agreement leaving her nose. “If that isn't the truth, then I'm a weasel.” It was Hermione’s turn to snort. “Not anymore you're not. Now you're a Potter.” Both girls dissolved into giggles as they continued to watch the boys make fools of themselves.

A couple of hours and quite a bit of firewhiskey later, it was time for the bouquet and garter toss. Ginny was going first, and naturally the crowd of giggling women were pushing and shoving each other to try and get the best position, arms outstretched above them. Hermione stayed on the outside edge of the group, not intent on catching the bundle of flowers at all. It was much too soon for her to be thinking about marriage, thank you, very much.

Ginny, looking over her shoulder, did a couple of practice swings, before clenching her eyes shut tight and turning forward, launching the bouquet end over end. At just the perfect moment, a long, dark skinned, slender arm jumped above the rest, fist clenching around the stem with a triumphant yell. Angelina had caught it. Hermione immediately turned to find George in the crowd, only to burst out into a fit of laughter at the look of utter mortification on his face. He quickly masked it with a grin as his girlfriend made her way to him with the flowers, giving him a swift kiss before he made his way to the middle of the floor.

The girls cleared out as Ginny was maneuvered into a seat, while Harry stood next to her, already blushing furiously at the prospect of what was coming next. The men were boisterous in their taunting of him as he got down on his knees and started working his head and shoulders under Ginny’s dress, keeping her modesty intact. She was blushing a deep scarlet as no doubt, Harry’s lips were moving up her thigh to find the garter on her leg. Hermione was blushing herself as her brain sprouted up a vision of Ron one day doing the same to her.

Ginny’s leg kicked out as Harry began his retreat, emerging from the folds of her skirting with the elastic band in his teeth, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. He hooked the band around his fingers and aimed it at the crowd of his now family, and former classmates and let it fly. Heads tilted back as eyes watched it fly, and as it reached its peak and started to descend, Ron’s eyes started to widen. There were multiple hands reaching for it, but with his height, it was making a beeline straight for him, and it landed, right across his unblinking eyes.

Hermione gasped, staring wide eyed at him, the whole crowd was laughing, and she soon joined in as Ron stood there in abject shock, before he snatched the garter off his face. He was blushing as red as his hair as his eyes connected with hers and she stopped laughing. There in the blue, was another dimension that she wasn't used to seeing in his eyes, want. And he wanted her. Everyone else had gone their separate ways to enjoy the reception, oblivious to the moment they were having.

Ron was stalking towards her, purpose in every stride, a smirk pulling one corner of his lips up. Hermione backed away with a grin, she felt she was being hunted, and if she was honest with herself, she kind of liked it. They quickly left behind the lit area of the Burrows backyard and were nearing Mr. Weasley’s workshop, where she backed against the side of it, her eyes on Ron. When he caught up to her, his hands immediately cupped her face and brought his lips to hers in a bruising kiss, her arms winding around his neck. This kiss was just as good, if not better than the first time they had kissed, and she found herself stretching up onto her toes to pull closer to him.

His tongue darted out from his mouth to trail along her lips and she obligingly opened her lips for him. This was new territory for her, she was unsure what to do, so she tentatively ran her tongue along his. With an answering growl, he pushed her further against the wall of the shed, his fingers threading into her hair. Who needed air when kissing was this pleasurable? She felt her body starting to heat, her arousal beginning to bloom between her legs, and it startled her. With her hands on his chest, she pushed Ron back, panting heavily, rasping out, “Ron, wait.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright, so, I may have lied. Or it could just be my poor self control. I may be changing the updating schedule here to twice a week. Haven't fully decided yet. But for now, here we go with chapter 2. A little bit of Draco's POV. Please review!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. JK is Queen of all.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

The Wedding of the Century, my arse. With a snort and roll of his eyes, Draco laid his morning edition of The Daily Prophet down and lifted his tumbler of Firewhiskey to his lips. He had only arrived home a couple of hours ago, a last minute business trip had prevented him from attending said wedding. How he had managed to rate an invite had been beyond him, but his mother would have skinned him alive if he'd have turned it down. He could hear her voice now, “A proper pureblood never turns down an invitation to an event. Especially not a wedding.” She had told him those exact words, when the owl had delivered the silvery envelope containing the thing, at dinner one evening.

When an emergency had pulled him to Ireland on business, it was with a small amount of glee that he had owled Potter and the Weaslette that he, regretfully, could not, in fact attend due to an unavoidable business matter. He hadn't the time to wait for a response, hadn't expected one, really. But as he shifted through the post he had missed, his brows rose in surprise. He unrolled the parchment and read:

Malfoy,

I was truly surprised you accepted the invite to begin with. It was Harry’s idea to invite you. As he says, without you, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Voldemort. He is right, of course. As he is about quite a bit, actually. And Merlin help me, if you ever tell him I said that, I'll hunt you down and set my Bat Bogey Hex on you. Anyway, I suppose I am rambling. Pre-wedding jitters and all. It is unfortunate that you are unable to make it, but your gift did. It was very generous of you to offer us one of your many other residences for a couple of weeks. I'm sure our honeymoon will be all the more wonderful now. Thank you.

Be well.  
Ginny.

Draco read the letter a couple more times to make sure he had understood correctly the first time. He had assumed it was the red-headed girls idea to invite him, not Potters. It shocked him. He hadn't expected that at all. For all he knew, Potter still hated him; but he guessed he was wrong. He took another sip of the liquid in the squat glass, his eyes moving up to his father's portrait. The wizard was elsewhere at the moment, as he always was when Draco was occupying the study. Disappointed in his son, he supposed. Not that it mattered much, since the bastard was dead.

His grey eyes then trailed over the grandfather clock in the corner of the room; it was only nearing half eight in the evening. Idly, Draco wondered if the party was still going on over at The Burrow, where the wedding had taken place. It had to be, wizards knew how to party. He shrugged the thought away, pulling a file over the desktop to spread the papers across its surface. He had loose ends that needed to be tied up after the disaster that had happened earlier in the evening.

Oh, if Lucius knew what had become of the family business, he would be rolling in his grave. Then again, perhaps that's why he never remained in his designated frame. Draco had turned the company completely around, from dealing in the Dark Arts and Artifacts, to helping Muggleborns and even Muggles. The emergency he'd had to tend to, had been a dire one, indeed. One of the properties the company managed was a shelter for battered witches and their children. It was warded to the highest degree. But, every so often, a wizard of a higher than average intelligence comes along and breaks down the wards enough to go after his family.

This particular shelter was in the middle of wizarding Dublin, and it was causing the witches and wizards in the area to flee into muggle Dublin in terror. The wizard in question had been firing hexes and Unforgivables in all directions before he set to work on dismantling the wards. Luckily, Draco and the back up security team arrived before he fully succeeded. He was currently being detained, awaiting a trial. His family, a frightened Muggleborn witch, and their two kids, were currently being relocated to a sister facility in America. For Draco, it was their safest option. Because sadly, the United States, had a better domestic abuse program.

That was what Draco was working on in Britain and Europe, trying to develop a better way of enforcing, convicting, and protecting families of Domestic Abuse. He based it off of their American counterparts, with help from MACUSA, The Magical Congress of the United States of America. Elle Jameson was one hell of a good witch at her job and she was helping Draco structure a guideline for him to hand in to the Ministry. As he finished writing in the last of his statement on the transfer form for the family tonight, he stored his quill in its holder. “Spritzy.” With a small pop, the little house elf appeared, with her pink, frilly dress. “Yes, Master Draco?”

Draco rolled the parchment and tied it with a piece of ribbon, handing it over to Spritzy. “Would you please deliver this to Miss Jameson? Wait for her to fill out her portion and sign it, then return it to me, please.” The elf bowed, her long nose dusting the tips of her shiny, toddler sized Mary Janes. “Yes, Master Draco.” With another pop, she was gone again. A house elf as a personal assistant was a bloody brilliant idea. As their magic did not abide by the limitations of wizard magic, their apparition was less dangerous. Which cut out the necessity of having to take the time out of one's day, to hand deliver a parchment that only needed a signature to be completed and filed.

Draco ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, lifting the Firewhiskey to his lips for another sip. His mind once again drifting from the office to the wedding party no doubt still in full swing. He could just pop over, see who was in attendance. Maybe thank Potter for the invitation. The invitation that had been granted him, all because he had tossed Potter his wand when he needed it most; allowing him to defeat Voldemort once and for all. The knock on the door shook him from his reverie.

“Come in.” His voice was a bit more gruff than he intended, so he cleared his throat as one of the panels swung wide. Narcissa stood in the space created by the opening with a serene smile on her face. “Hello, my darling. I see you made it back from the wedding. Though I have to admit, I expected you back much later.” A small frown marred her beautiful features as she all but floated into the room. Draco inwardly groaned as he looked at his mother, “I didn't go, Mother. I was called away on business before the wedding. It took longer than expected. But I owled to apologize for my absence.”

The disappointment flowing from his aristocratic mother was practically visible in the room as she took a seat on one of the velvet couches. “Draco Lucius Malfoy! That matter could have been left to the hands of your many employees. They are capable of handling anything that arises in the company. A proper pureblood does not miss an engagement he promised to attend. No matter the circumstance. Unless he were on his deathbed!” His mother's cheeks had started to color as she went on her little tirade.

With a small sigh and a sad smile he explained, “These were extenuating circumstances, Mum. The shelter in Dublin? A husband found it and was dismantling the wards. The wards that I personally set up. I had no other choice but to go. We had to portkey the wife and children to America. Elle is handling them now, getting them settled in where no one in Britain, or Europe will know where they are. Not even-” Draco was cut off by Spritzy’s return. “Master Draco, the Miss Elle says that the Erestead’s are safely settled.” The elf held up the parchment, now sealed with the MACUSA seal. Draco took the parcel from the elf with a smile. “Thank you, Spritzy. That will be all for the night. I will see you in the office on Monday. Have a good weekend.”

Narcissa had not even been phased by the intrusion. “I see now why you were not able to attend the wedding, darling and I apologize for jumping to conclusions. Speaking of weddings, have you thought any more of your father's last wishes?” Draco pulled his fingers through his hair, tugging at the white blonde tresses. “Yes, mother, I have and no, I am not, nor will I ever marry one of the Greengrass girls. I will marry when I'm good and bloody ready.” His tone had grown firm by the end of his sentence and he just couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for it. The pair of them had had this conversation multiple times, and the answer always remained the same. No matter how many times his mother tried to persuade him otherwise.

He watched as she nodded and rose from her seat. “Very well, son. The elves have kept you some dinner warm, shall I have them deliver it to you here or to your room?” Her voice was somewhat defeated, and now he felt guilty. The woman just wanted Draco to be happy, and she thought a companion would give that to him. Sadly, she was poorly mistaken. “My room, if you'd please. I just have to file this document and then I am retiring for the evening. Thank you, Mum.” As she turned her back to him, he tacked on, “I love you.” He watched as her body visibly relaxed when she walked out of the office.

Draco unfolded his body from the desk, stretching his limbs as he made his way to the fireplace. He dipped his fingers into the floo powder, gathering the required amount, depositing it into the flames and stepping in, calling out into the office, “Malfoy Incorporated.” The familiar feeling of Floo travel engulfed him, the vision of various living rooms, studies, offices, and bedrooms passed too fast for him to see. In the next blink of his eyes, he stepped out into his regal office. The filing cabinets lined the walls and he walked to the one designated for the letter E. Even with magical enhancements, it took an entire filing cabinet for each letter of the alphabet.

He found the appropriate spot for the Erestead’s file, sliding it home with the other pieces of parchment. After the drawer closed, he looked around his immaculate office and smiled. He enjoyed being head of the company. His eyes floated over to the floor to ceiling windows, taking in the view of London. The lights were twinkling in the dark night and the sight was bewitching. The longer he stood, looking at the view, the more the wedding encroached on his thoughts. Before he consciously made a decision, he was apparating away to the edge of the Weasley’s property. From the spot he landed on, he could see the twinkling fairy lights, the dance floor and the table and chairs set up. He could see the guests milling about, either dancing or sitting down talking amongst one another.

The amount of red hair visible was appalling, but the normal head of bushy hair was harder to spot. Especially as it wasn't in its normal style, it was pulled back in an elegant updo. Draco only knew that, because she was currently dancing with a man with unruly, jet black hair and glasses. Potter. His eyes moved to find the Weaslette, dancing with the clumsiest of her brothers, Ron. Before long, Granger joined the Weaslette and they talked for hours. Draco hadn't realized he had moved closer, now he was only on the periphery of the party in the shadows. He was so close, he could hear the murmurs of the crowd.

He was so intent on watching the two women chat, that he jumped when the other women started to squeal in excitement. He rolled his eyes when he saw why. Bouquet toss. He watched as the obviously drunk red head chucked the flowers, tossing them right into the waiting hands of the dark skinned girl. Next up was the garter toss, if Draco wasn't mistaken. As Weaslette was positioned, he knew he was right. Once the lacy piece of elastic was flung into the air, shocked didn't even begin to cover his reaction as it landed directly on the Weasels face.

Of course, he obviously wasn't the only one shocked, the Weasel was too, but he quickly recovered. He got this awful attempted look at seduction on his face as he stalked after some unlucky bint. However, when Draco followed his line of sight, his stomach dropped from some unexplained reason. Before he knew what he was doing, he was clumsily running back up the path to the apparition point, unaware of the Weaslette watching him run away instead of watching her brother lead Hermione away.

As soon as he appeared in his bedroom, he stumbled into his bathroom and emptied his stomach into the toilet. Since when did the Weasel and Granger hook up? Draco wasn't even sure he wanted to know the answer to that question. His fingers pulled the plunger down and flushed the toilet. His appetite was ruined as he returned to his room, foregoing the food, he headed straight for the Firewhiskey. He needed to forget what he had seen. He also needed to not analyze why it had affected him so. With that swirling around in his head, he tilted the bottle to his lips and drank deeply.

Within an hour he was piss drunk, and wobbling around his room. He made his way to his desk, pulling a spare piece of parchment towards him and shakily wrote a note out on it, tying it to his owl's leg. He opened the window to let the owl out, and stumbled to the bed, collapsing on it.

Half an hour later, his fireplace roared to life and a barely clothed Pansy stepped from the emerald flames. Her silk robe hanging dangerously low on one shoulder. “Draco.” She purred. “You're drunk, aren't you?” She knew. Of course she did. She knew the only reason he'd reached out was because he was piss drunk. He didn't have shite to do with her otherwise. But she strolled over to the bed anyway, climbing on. The halves of her robe parting, exposing the valley between her breasts. Draco leaned forward, his lips running a trail up the middle of her breasts.

He felt her fingers thread through his hair, and felt the moan vibrating her chest as his kisses trailed up her throat. She laid out on her back and Draco followed, hovering over her, his lips finding their way to hers. If the whiskey hadn't made him forget, this was a sure fire way to get that done. His fingers found their way to the silky tie of Pansy’s robe, pulling the simple knot free. The halves parted of their own accord, as if they were following his silent commands. His deft fingers trailed the exposed flesh, following each rise and fall presented to him.

Pansy arched her back into his caress, her lips moving feverishly along his, her tongue darting into his open mouth. Her fingers were working the buttons on his shirt, slipping each one from its fastening with ease, before sliding the fabric from his shoulders. Draco flung the garment off the bed, leaning in and swirling his tongue around an exposed nipple, earning another moan from Pansy. Her fingers tightened in his hair as his lips closed around the peak, suckling gently. His fingers following a leisurely trail up her inner thigh, which she parted for him readily.

While he turned his attentions to her other nipple, his fingers ghosted along the bare apex of her thighs. The arousal evident, even from outside her lips; Draco slid his thumb between her slit, immediately rolling in a slippery circle around the swollen bundle of nerves there. As Pansy arched, he opened his eyes and looked up at her, and for the briefest of moments, her bone straight black hair had morphed into a mass of unruly, brown curls. But in the next blink, Pansy was back, the effects of the alcohol not allowing Draco to linger on it as his lips started to trail down her torso.

“Draco…” His name was a moan on her lips as his tongue dipped in and out of her navel on its travel southward. His middle finger slid into her warm quim, the muscles contracting around the digit as he slowly began to pump back and forth, curling at just the right point to hit her g-spot. Draco moved his circling thumb away from her clit and covered the nub with his mouth, sucking the bundle of nerves in and flicking with his tongue. He had to drape his free arm across Pansy’s hips to still her, too keep her from moving so much. He wanted to savor it now that he was properly distracted.

“Oh fuck, Draco. Yes!” She mewled as he slid a second into her wet pussy. He was pumping his arm at a faster pace now, the sounds of Pansy’s arousal echoing around the room. Draco used his teeth to nibble at her clit, smirking as he tugged on the nub, causing her to let out an undignified shriek of pleasure as she bowed off of the bed. Her entire body tensed as her walls clamped down around his fingers, the obvious evidence of her release slowly trailing down his fingers and wrist, soaking into the sheets.

Draco continued to work her until her body collapsed back into the sheets, sweat glistening along her skin. When he pulled his fingers free, he licked them clean, smirking at her as she looked at him with eyes half mast, chest still heaving. After a moment, she sat up and pushed him onto his back, smirking at him. “Payback is a bitch, Draco.” He just propped his head up on his arms as he watched her unbuckle his belt, pulling it free from the loops of his tailored slacks. Her fingers trailing along the outline of his erection, the featherlight touches making his cock jerk, and a groan rip from his throat. Which earned him another wicked smirk from Pansy.

When she finally had his pants undone, he lifted his hips as she pulled them and his boxers free of his hips. His erection popped free and stood proud from his body. Pansy licked her lips as she ran a blood red fingernail up the length from underneath, along the vein. The action had Draco growling and bucking his hips as the drop of precum bloomed from the tip of his cock. “Fuck, Pansy.”  She clicked her tongue at him, giving him an admonishing look, “Now now, Draco...don't go getting ahead of yourself.” She used the same fingernail to swirl the pearlescent drop around the head of him, eyes watching hungrily as her tongue darted out to wet her lips. The light touches were testing each fiber of his self control, but he endured it. Because if this was over too soon, he wasn't sure he wanted what was going to wait for him on the other side.

He was jerked out of his thoughts, when Pansy wrapped her hand around him and began pumping her fist up and down the length of him. His jaw locked, head kicked back into the pillows as his eyes jammed shut. “Fuck.” He gritted out. Her nail would flick the sensitive spot just under the bottom of his head on every up stroke and he knew he wasn't going to last long. He tilted his head up, forcing his eyes open to watch her. Bad idea. Bad fucking idea. Because at that moment is when she put her mouth on him, swirling her tongue around the blunt tip, before opening her jaw wide, his length disappearing.

He felt himself hit the back of her throat, as her hand came down to pay some attention to his heavy sac. She knew how to play him, just like a puppetmaster. Her finger stroked along that sensitive patch of skin just behind his balls, and on a loud barking curse, his hot seed exploded into her throat. As her throat contracted around his cock, swallowing his release, a lazy, cocky grin spread across his face. He was already drifting into a sated sleep. “Wicked witch.” He murmured as she sat up and wiped her mouth. He watched as she stood, pulling her robe back on. 

“Yeah, well you always did like my wicked ways, Draco. No matter the reason for your owl. Until the next time.” With a wink, she grabbed a handful of Floo powder and was gone. The last thing Draco remembered was watching the emerald color of the flames die down before he passed out into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, there was also a little bit of smut in there too. Lol. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter.  
> Please review!!!!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alrighty, here we go with Chapter 3! I think I have pretty much decided to update twice a week. Simply because once a week seems to take forever. Or maybe because I have poor self control. Either way, twice a week it will be.
> 
> For the first few chapters at least, I swap back and forth between Draco and Hermione's point of views. So, this chapter will be Hermione's. I hope that you all enjoy.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing!
> 
> Please review!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!

“What is it, ‘Mione?” Ron asked, his voice husky, the words panted out. 

“I can't...we can't. This is out in the open…” Hermione stumbled across her words. It wasn't so much that they were outside where anyone could stumble upon them, it was that she didn't know how to tell Ron that she had never done anything other than kissing. Sure, in the two years since the war, she'd had a couple of boyfriends. But it never got very serious and never past making out and maybe some light petting on their parts. To tell the truth, she was scared. To Hermione, her virtue was something to be protected and saved for her wedding night. It was how she had been raised, it was how she felt, and no amount of Firewhiskey would lower her inhibitions that much.

Ron brushed back a stray curl that had fought its way loose. “It's okay, ‘Mione, I won't push you. I promise.” He pulled her in for a hug, and she released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. 

“Thank you, Ron, really. And I'm sorry. I was so enjoying that.”

His snort rumbled in her ear, “You were enjoying snogging me, were you? Maybe we should pick back up where we left off?” She looked up at him and laughed softly, smacking his chest. “Ronald Weasley!” 

He laughed with her, shrugging. “Just a suggestion. C’mon let's head back to the party. See if there's any food left, I'm starved.” Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled when he linked their fingers and led her back to the twinkling lights.

Ginny came bounding over to her with a mischievous look on her face and Hermione knew she was in for a story of epic proportions. Ron had already left in search of more food, so she allowed Ginny to pull her off to a table in the far corner, out of hearing range of anyone in the vicinity. “Bloody hell, Gin, what is it?”

“You will never guess who showed up earlier.” Hermione frowned slightly. She hadn't seen anyone new show up to the reception, and she had remembered every face. As maid of honor, it had been her duty to acquaint herself with every guest. The only guest who hadn't made it had been Malfoy… 

“No, Gin. He didn't?! I thought you said he'd owled that he had a business emergency?” 

Ginny was nodding as she listened to Hermione. “He did. Which I assume he had taken care of and had wanted to stop by anyway…” Ginny kept speaking, but Hermione was searching the heads for the shock of blonde hair. “But he left.” That brought Hermione’s head back around to her best girlfriend. “What?”

Ginny gave her a look from the corner of her eye, one that she gave her when she was usually hiding something. “Yeah, he left. Before he entered the party properly. Right after the garter toss, pretty abruptly too. He must have had some more urgent business to attend to.” She shrugged, studiously ignoring Hermione’s pointed gaze. 

“I know there's something you're not telling me Gin, but since it's your wedding night, I'll let it pass.” 

The girl had the nerve to blush, but got up to leave when Harry caught her eye and tapped his watch. “It's time for us to leave for our honeymoon, ‘Mione.” She grinned wide, clearly excited. “Did I tell you Malfoy gifted us the use of one of his manors in France for two weeks?”

Hermione’s eyes widened and shook her head, “No, you didn't but that's great. Don’t do something that I wouldn’t do.” She stood and hugged the newest Potter, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Ginny laughed and shook her head, leading Hermione to Harry.

“Time to go, Gin, our portkey leaves in five minutes. Hermione, thank you so much for all that you've done. Really, we couldn't have done it without you.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and pulled Ginny towards their waiting luggage. With one last wave to her two best friends, Hermione watched them go with a smile, visions of her own future wedding once again dancing in her head.

She turned back to the reception, noticing that the guests had quickly departed now that the newlyweds had left. Now it was time for the clean up. Hermione pulled her wand from the hidden pocket in her dress and began to disperse the fairy lights, smiling as they flew into the night sky. Molly appeared beside her, smiling but flustered, with red and puffy eyes. “Go on home, Hermione. You've already done so much for this wedding. We can handle the clean up.” She turned to the woman who was so much like a mother to her and smiled, “Only if you're sure, Molly, I'd hate to leave you in a bind.”

Molly made a shooing motion and smiled, “Get out of here, dear. Arthur, the boys and I will handle this. Go home and get some much needed rest. I hear you have a date tomorrow.” Hermione blushed as Molly winked at her. She went in search of Ron to tell him goodbye. Of course, she found him with a mouthful of food. As she smiled to herself, she stepped up behind him and cleared her throat. “Ron, I've come to say goodnight. Your mum told me to go home and that she would handle the clean up.”

He turned to face her with a grin. “Would you like me to accompany you home? Make sure you make it safely? Mum would never forgive me if I didn't.”

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. “No, Ronald. You're not getting out of the cleaning that easily. You go and help your mother. I'll see you tomorrow evening.” She leaned up to kiss his cheek, turning away to walk to the apparition point. Once inside her flat, she quickly undressed, not bothering with any pajamas. She was too exhausted to bother. She just fell into her bed and was asleep within minutes.

XxX

Sun had filtered between an opening in the curtains of her bedroom window. The sliver of warmth fell on the bare skin of her back, causing her to rouse from the deep sleep she had been in. She arched her body, stretching her limbs. Her calves were sore from wearing the heels from last night for so long, and her lower back was achy from constantly keeping her balance. The wedding had turned out beautifully, though, and all the discomfort had been worth it.

She picked up her wand from the bedside table and checked the time. It was nearly noon! Merlin, she must have really been exhausted. Slipping from the bed, she looked down at her naked form and shook her head with a small grin. Yeah, she must have been utterly exhausted to have gone to bed in the nude. Normally she at least wore a tank top and knickers. She walked into her ensuite bathroom and started the bath. A nice long soak was in order to soothe her aches. After adding a few salts and bubbles, she set a charm to magically stop the water when the tub was full and went to make a pot of tea.

Floating a fresh pot of tea into the bathroom with her, Hermione climbed into the tub, sinking into the hot water. The combination of the bubbles, salts and warmth instantly went to work on her tight muscles. She poured a cup of tea and pulled the over-the-tub tray closer to her. There was already a book propped open, and as she sipped her tea, her eyes picked up where she left off.

A couple of warming charms later, Hermione was perfectly prunish and decided it was time to get out of the bath. She moved the tray back into its proper position and stood from the water. Her hand latched onto a towel, pulling it from the warming rack, smiling at the muggle invention. As she dried herself, she looked at her hair. It was already beginning to dry and frizz. She picked up her wand, murmuring a few drying spells, watching as the usually frizzy mess fell in soft waves instead. There must still be some SleekEazy’s left in there, she thought.

Hermione checked her wand for the time once again, not at all surprised that she had spent two hours in the bath. Registering an angry growl from her stomach, she quickly dressed in fresh pajamas, and went in search of something light to eat. She didn't want to ruin her appetite for her date with Ron tonight. Oh Merlin, now her nerves were starting to tie her stomach into knots. She settled on just a light sandwich and crisps.

After cleaning up her mess, she didn't know what to do with herself. It was too early to begin getting dressed and too late to take a nap; besides, she had just woken up a couple of hours ago. She walked about her flat, coming to a stop in front of her bookcase. She would fall to her old, trustworthy pastime--reading.

Hermione slipped The Princess Bride from its designated space and sauntered over to her couch, sinking into the cushions. This was a book she read time and time again--it made her laugh, smile and even cry. The movie was much the same. A creature comfort, if you will. But she hadn't gotten very far when she heard an insistent pecking on her window.

She looked up, her eyes landing on the eagle owl perched outside the glass. Rising from her seat, she walked to the window to let the owl in. “Hello, Bubo Bubo. What do you have for me?” The owl perched on the back of a kitchen chair, holding his leg out. She untied the roll of parchment before going to the cabinet to grab a treat to feed the owl. When he didn't immediately fly off, she knew a response was expected.

She took a seat in the chair opposite the owl and began to unfurl the missive. Her eyes roamed the first page.

Granger,

There was an incident at the Dublin home the night of Potter’s wedding. It was handled efficiently and without major incident. Attached is the account of what happened, as well as a list of other things that need to be addressed to update our domestic abuse laws. I would like you to look over them and if you need to add anything, please do so.

D.M.

Hermione stared at the short letter a moment longer. There was evidence of a magical erasing just above Draco’s initials. That was very much out of character and it made her wonder just what he had meant to write. With a shrug of her shoulders, she flipped to the second page, her eyes scanning the copy of the incident report. With every line, her eyes widened. She never understood why men--and women, too--could be so violent toward someone they were supposed to love and cherish.

She had her own group of files for that particular shelter and she would file this report with the others from that particular house. One of the issues that needed to be resolved, were the fact that there were over fifteen incidences from the house in Dublin. It had only been open for a year. No other house had this many instances. That was a high rate. Even though the family was no longer under that roof, it was still relevant. When she turned to the third page, her eyes went to work again. Malfoy had bulleted each point that he wanted added to the ever-mounting list of laws--which, as Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, fell into Hermione’s repertoire.

She rose from her table and found a spare sheaf of parchment and a quill. With a wave of her wand, she set the quill to copying the laws down, and sat back, watching the self-inking quill. For some reason, the scratching mesmerized her and she found her eyes crossing as her mind wandered. But instead of wondering what the date tonight would be like, her mind churned over the possibility of what Malfoy had written and then magically erased from the letter.

When the quill clattered to the table and Bubo Bubo gave an indignant hoot, Hermione jumped free of her tangled thoughts. She grabbed up the quill, flipping Malfoy’s letter over, and penned a quick missive of her own.

Malfoy,

I will be adding the Incident report to my own files; thank you for the copy. That was truly horrific. I am very glad and extremely relieved that you made it in time. That could have been disastrous. As for the laws, they are all very relevant and I shall add them to our already massive list. I do believe that it is almost complete.

Perhaps you could come by my office sometime this week and review it all with me? Possibly bring along Ms. Jameson if she can spare some time away from her office at MACUSA. That way we will know for sure. Again, thank you for the update. Hope all is well.

Hermione Granger

As she rolled the parchment up, she gave Bubo Bubo another treat and a scratch between his pointy ears. She was rewarded by a contented hoot and a rub against her palm. This owl had always seemed to love her, and with an affectionate peck to the tip of her nose while she attached the parchment to his leg, he was off.

A glance at the miniature grandfather clock on her mantle made Hermione start in surprise. It was half past five and she needed to start getting dressed. She darted to her bedroom, throwing herself onto the bench in front of her vanity. Her hair just needed a few minor tweaks, and when she was finished, she was happy with the results. It was a loose French twist with tendrils falling here and there.

Next was to apply just a light layer of makeup. She never wore much. Last night was the only exception, as Ginny had insisted on the heavier makeup, and who was she to deny her best friend on her wedding day? For Hermione, the most time consuming part of her makeup routine was her eyelashes. She didn't know why she wanted them to look perfect, but every lash had to be separated. She kept a straight pin in her makeup bag.

Once she applied a coat of mascara to her lower lashes, she set about separating each lash, her mouth hanging open in an ‘o’ shape as she concentrated. When she finished with her lower lashes, she picked the tube of mascara back up again and proceeded to coat the lashes of her left eye.

Hermione rested the tube back on the table top and lifted her trusty pin again. Before she could reach her eye, she jumped. Crookshanks was winding around her legs and she sighed. “Crooks, you can't do that when I'm going towards my eye with a pin!” With a flick of his tail and a foul look at her, he slouched off. Hermione returned to what she was doing, finally starting to pick apart her lashes where they were sticking together. Now it was time for the other eye.

Once she was finished, she moved to her closet to try and figure out what to wear. Her fingers trailed along the tops of the hangers, stopping on one. She pulled the hanger out, the floral print maxi dress catching her eye. It wasn't too elegant, but it wasn't too casual. It was the perfect outfit, minimal but not shabby. Pair it with some flats and she was good to go.

Hermione freed her body of the pajamas she was in and pulled on the matching bra to the knickers she had on. Once in the dress, she searched the bottom of her closet and found the pair of flats she needed, fastening them onto her feet. She was glad she'd recently painted her toenails for the wedding.

She grabbed a jean jacket and pulled it on, completing her look. Before sliding her wand into the hidden pocket, she checked the time. A quarter to seven. Perfect timing.

Hermione walked out to her couch and resumed her earlier seat, the nerves were coming back, her stomach tying itself in knots as she waited for Ron to show.

XxX

It was thirty minutes into the date and Hermione had to admit, she was having a great time--despite the fact that she was having to translate most of Ron’s words in her head. He was, as usual, speaking around every mouthful of food.

“Sktkc wkdjnfk sowpfinn.” Which roughly translated into, ‘So what's for dessert?’ 

Hermione shook her head and laughed. “I was thinking of the treacle tart.” So far they had talked about a fair amount of things. The inner workings of the Ministry; what case Ron was working on at the current moment and how it was progressing; the laws for the Domestic Abuse Decree.

“Did you know Malfoy let Harry and Ginny use one of his places?” Ron asked, his mouth free of food for once. Hermione nodded, trying not to reprimand him for the skeptical look on his face. He still harbored some lingering hate and animosity for the blond man. But he had always been one to hold a grudge the longest. 

“Yes, Ron, I did. Ginny told me the night of the wedding. What is so wrong with that? It was very generous of him. Harry and I have both forgiven him of his past deeds and moved on to forge a friendship with him. As well as the others, and so should you.”

Ron just stared at her, his jaw slack, speechless and so, she continued. “And as we were discussing the Domestic Abuse Decree earlier, you know exactly what he is doing to help with battered witches, wizards and children. Grow. Up. Ronald.” She released an undignified huff, blowing a free strand of hair away, as she looked at her date. He had finally closed his mouth, and swallowed thickly. When he nodded, she could see in his eyes that he was absorbing what she had said.

“You're right. I'm sorry, ‘Mione. It's just that old habits die hard, ya know? I'll try to do better.” He gave her his lopsided smile, reaching his hand across the table and she took it, giving his fingers a squeeze. 

“Thank you. Now, dessert?” Hermione asked as the waitress returned. When Ron nodded, she ordered a treacle tart for both of them.

While they waited for the dessert to arrive, Ron stood and moved to Hermione’s side of the booth. She slid further in, making room for him and leaned into his side with a small sigh. She felt him turn his nose against the top of her head, felt his chest expand as he inhaled, “You smell good, ‘Mione.” She blushed, glad that he wasn't looking. “Thank you.” Their desserts arrived and they ate them in a comfortable silence.

XxX

Back in her flat after the meal, she and Ron sat on the couch, her legs in his lap as music played in the background. Her arms were draped around his neck, his hand running lazy tracks up and down the outside of her leg as he leaned in and kissed her slowly. Hermione scooted closer to him, bringing their lips together with more pressure. She felt his fingers slip under the skirting of her dress, brushing her ankle, then her calf.

She didn't mind the caresses. When his tongue slid across her lips, she parted them, granting him access. Ron deepened the kiss, his free hand sliding to the back of her neck and tilting her head further back. Hermione’s whimper was swallowed by Ron, the hand on her leg traveling up to her knee, running in circles there. No alarm bells were ringing yet in her head, so she let him continue.

It was only when his fingers trailed even higher, starting to move to her inner thigh, that her entire body tensed up. She sat ramrod straight on the couch and pulled out of his embrace. He fell forward when she moved, and blinked in surprise. “Hermione, what's wrong?”

She flushed a deep red, avoiding his gaze, and shaking her head when he made to reach for her. “I think it's best you stay right where you are.” His confused look was missed by Hermione. 

“Did I do something wrong?” 

When she didn't answer right away, he went to move in again, but she held her hand up. “No, Ron, you didn't. It's just that...well, I've never been...I've never...what I mean is, I haven't...Oh bugger.”

She couldn't spit it out, but as she saw Ron's body sag out of the corner of her eye, she knew he got it. “You're a virgin and you've never gone very far?” Hermione nodded mutely, her blush deepening. Ron stood and started to pace, his hand running through his hair--she noted absently that he must have picked that up from Harry. “Yes, I am a virgin. I also intend to stay that way until I am married.”

At those words, his head whipped around and the look of surprise which had drained from his face returned. “You what?” 

Hermione straightened her spine once again, steeling herself as she repeated her words. “I said that I intend to stay that way until I am married. Call me old-fashioned if you will, but that is what I believe in. And if that is something that you cannot handle, there is the fireplace, you may let yourself out.” With that, she stood, walked into her bedroom and slammed the door shut, not caring one way or the other if he left or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really hope that you enjoyed the chapter. My favorite part, I think was the last paragraph. I love that Hermione is holding her values in such high regard. Please let me know what you think in reviews and comments. Please keep them coming. They make me smile and give me all the warm fuzzies.
> 
> Just a P.S.- I'm having a little road block on the next chapter of Soul Bound, if you read it, but I hope to have it up this week. So, please be patient with me.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alrighty, we are back in Draco's mind, now. And, we get to see what he erased in his letter to Hermione.
> 
> I want to give a special shout out to Green Eyed Lana Lee. I got a couple of negative nelly reviews and it put me further into a funk that I had already been in. Her reviews were so positive that they really helped to pull me out, so I wanted to thank her. As well as Cat and HazelnutLatte over on AO3 for your comments. I always look forward to them.
> 
> Without further babble on my part...
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

Draco knew he couldn't put it off any longer. He had to write to Granger about the incident in Dublin. She was, after all, helping to improve the laws. He only hoped she wasn't currently under that damn Weasel. Just the thought had his stomach turning and his face going green.

He grabbed the three short pieces of parchment he needed--one was a copy of the incident report, one was a list of new laws, and the third was blank. He grabbed the blank sheet and  began penning his short but efficient letter.

Granger,

There was an incident at the Dublin home the night of Potter’s wedding. It was handled efficiently and without major incident. Attached is the account of what happened, as well as a list of other things that need to be addressed to update our domestic abuse laws. I would like you to look over them and if you need to add anything, please do so.

P.S. I stopped by the reception of the wedding and you looked stunning. Just thought you should know.

D.M.

The longer he looked at his postscript the more he regretted writing it. Lifting his wand, he waved it gently, and cleared the writing from the page. As his eyes roamed over what he wrote again, he missed the evidence of the magical erasing or else he would have started on a fresh sheet of parchment.

Draco got up and walked through the Manor to the owlery, he smiled when he saw his eagle owl perk up at his entrance. “Hey, Bubo. I got a delivery for you. Wanna take this to Granger?” That damn eagle owl, the traitor, lit up like a damn muggle light bulb. He never understood why his damn owl loved Granger so much. He gave the owl a scratch around the ears and attached the roll of parchments to his leg. “Well, off you go, bud. Take these to Granger.” He watched the owl fly through the open window and muttered quietly, “Wherever she may be.”

XxX

After leaving the owlery, Draco went in search of his mother. It was nearing two in the afternoon and she would likely be ready for tea. He had already missed breakfast and lunch, which, in this manor, was a punishable offense. Though the punishments were likely light, especially in his case. He chuckled lightly as he turned a corner, heading for the study he knew that Narcissa would be occupying. When he got close, he could hear voices in the room. He stopped short when he recognized his father's voice. Oh, so he still talked to his mother at least. “Narcissa, that boy has run my business into the ground. How can you stand behind him? After everything I worked for? I swear, if I were still alive, I would beat some sense into him. Just as I used to. Perhaps into you as well for letting him go as far as he has.”

Draco had to force back a growl and plant his feet where they were to remain still. The man was dead, he could no longer hurt Narcissa, nor Draco. He couldn’t care less about himself, he would have taken all of the beatings on himself, if Lucius had never laid another hand on Narcissa. “Yes, well be that as the case may be Lucius, you are no longer among the land of the living. You reside only in a painting and can no longer do anymore damage to this family, nor the business. The way you saw fit to run said business was not only illegal but detrimental to this family. I, for one, am glad that Arthur Weasley finished you off. I have half a mind to relegate your portrait to the attic with the rest of your prejudiced family.”

There were muffled voices after that and a few moments later, Narcissa emerged from the study. When she looked up and saw her son, her eyes grew wide in surprise, “Draco, darling. Did you need something?” Draco had to shake himself as he looked at his mother. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her hair was disheveled, which only showed how much the conversation with Lucius’ portrait had really gotten under her skin. 

“Uh, yes, I had come to find you for tea. I am sorry that I missed breakfast and lunch. I did not go to sleep until late, wrapping up that incident in Dublin.”

She waved her manicured hand in the air, “Oh darling, don’t bother apologizing. I know you are terribly busy. The work you are doing is so important. I am so incredibly proud of you. How about we take our tea in the greenhouse? It is such a lovely day for once.” With that, she turned and headed for the stairs. Draco had no choice but to follow.

Once they were seated in the greenhouse, his mother looked around with a small smile. “I have always loved it in here. Miffy!” With a pop, the one of the kitchen elves appeared and bowed low. 

“Yes, Mistress?” 

“We shall have our afternoon tea here, in the greenhouse. Thank you.” 

“Yes, right away, Mistress.” The dainty little elf bowed again and disappeared with a pop.

“Where did you get off to last night, Draco? After you returned from Ireland?” She didn’t look directly at her son, but instead she fingered the petal of a delicate flower next to her. As she leaned over to inhale its scent, she glanced at him and saw a flush hit his cheeks. “I had thought of stopping by the Potter wedding to see if the festivities were still underway. They weren’t. So I came right back home.” Narcissa nodded, a secret smile directed towards the flower. “Well, I stopped by your room and you weren’t there, so I was wondering. Oh, Miffy, thank you!” The elf had reappeared with a pop, a tray of tea with her. Draco watched the little creature serve her masters, missing the way his mother was appraising him as if she knew a secret that he didn’t.

XxX

An hour later, Draco returned to his study. He had a return letter from Granger waiting on him. An unwanted grin spread across his face as he sat down and unfurled the parchment. Confusion wafted over his features at first when he saw his own handwriting staring back up at him, but then he flipped the thing over and was faced with her familiar elegant script.

Malfoy,

I will be adding the incident report to my own files; thank you for the copy. That was truly horrific. I am very glad and extremely relieved that you made it in time. That could have been disastrous. As for the laws, they are all very relevant and I shall add them to our already massive list. I do believe that it is almost complete.

Perhaps you could come by my office sometime this week and review it all with me? Possibly bring along Ms. Jameson if she can spare some time away from her office at MACUSA. That way we will know for sure. Again, thank you for the update. Hope all is well.

Hermione Granger

She wanted to meet with him? In her office? Oh, wait, she wanted Elle to come along as well. Some strange deflating feeling happened in his chest, but he didn’t focus on it for too long. He needed to Fire Call Elle and see if she could spare any time this week to meet with him and Granger. Granger was right, they probably were almost finished compiling all the laws they needed to update the existing archaic laws.

Draco moved to the fireplace, grabbed the necessary amount of floo powder and sank to his knees. As he threw the powder in, and the flames turned green, he called out “Floo call Elle Jameson.” He stuck his head into the fireplace and waited. In a few moments, he saw a short head of hair appear in front of him and he smiled, “Hello, Elle. How are you?” Even through the two-dimensional, colorless view he had, he could see the color change on her cheeks. He knew the effect he had on women. Elle was no different. In fact, he was sure he had even more of an effect on her. He usually did on American women, witches and muggles alike. He supposed the accent had something to do with it.

“Draco! I’m doing good. How are you? To what do I owe this surprise?” She pulled the lapels of her robe closer--it was just after ten in the morning in New York. She had probably just gotten out of bed. Quite unbidden, an image of her sliding that robe off entered his brain, and he had half a mind to tell her to just step aside. But he just stomped that down, he didn’t need that complication. Because unfortunately, she also seemed like one that would get attached, and that was the last thing Draco needed.

“Granger wanted to know if we would have some time to meet with her this week in her office to go over the list of laws we have. She reckons the list is almost complete. Any particular day that would be best for you?” 

She held up a dainty finger with a smile and disappeared, only to return a moment later with a date book. “I think tomorrow would be the best day that I have this week. The rest of my week is booked up. Is that fine with you?” She looked up from the calendar, into his eyes and he nodded. 

“Yes, that works for me. Just Floo to the Ministry, I’ll meet you there at one pm our time, right by the fountain. I’ll notify Granger. I won’t keep you. I know it’s early for you.”

He wanted to kick himself in the arse when her face fell at his mention of ending the connection, he hated to see the look of dejection on anyone’s face. He gave her a wink, which put another smile on her face and she nodded, “See you tomorrow, Draco. Have a good evening.” With that dismissal, he pulled his face from the flames and stood, brushing the front of his plain t-shirt off. He would owl Granger later--right now, he needed a shower.

He made his way through the manor, his eyes taking in the decor and how drastically it had been changed since his father’s death. His mother had wanted to brighten everything up, and so she had. The only thing unchanged had been his room. It was still done in dark mahogany, deep green and silver, true to his Slytherin nature. Closing the door behind him, he pulled the t-shirt over his head and tossed it into the dirty bin. His fingers deftly unhooked the button of his pants, the zipper was next to be dragged down. He hooked his thumbs into the band of his briefs, dragging them down with his slacks, carrying them both to the hamper on his way to the bathroom. 

The marble around him echoed as he turned the water on in the shower. His eyes roamed over his body in the mirror while he waited for the water to heat. He had slacked off of his workouts as of late, but he still kept up with his flying exercises, so he hadn't lost his definition. He trailed his fingers along the scars across his chest. The scars from where Potter had hit him with that curse in sixth year. His abdomen was rippled, cut and a clearly defined six pack.

Then of course, you can't forget the “V”, the part every female seems to ogle over. It narrowed with his hips, following the natural flow of his body until it met with his cock and balls. As he gripped himself, unbidden, an image of Granger pushed against that shed at the Weasley’s invaded his mind. But instead of her kissing the Weasel, it was Draco she was wrapped around. He hardened in an instant. He was half-tempted to call for Pansy, or hell, even get Elle back through his Floo and make all her dreams come true. Instead, he just stepped into the scalding hot water.

He hung his head, free hand braced on the wall of the shower, water beating down on his shoulders as his hand pumped back and forth on his rigid shaft. Images of Granger, the glimpses he caught of her at the wedding reception, danced across his eyelids. Unfortunately, it didn't take him long to find his release, his muscles locking up as his cock jerked in his hand, “Fuck,” he breathed around the water sliding past his lips.

He let the water wash away the hollow release, and tried his hardest to scrub away the guilt. What kind of skeeze was he to lust after a taken woman? Once he was squeaky clean, he dressed and went on the search for his mother again. It was high time he took her out for a fancy dinner. It had been a while since he had treated her, and after today, she more than deserved it. Perhaps they could Floo to Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did! I love getting to write from Draco's POV. Please leave me some loving reviews!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so, three things. One, I'm posting from my phone which I don't usually do. Two, I'm being lazy with this A/N.
> 
> And thirdly, I turned my guest reviews onto the moderated setting. I have been receiving several that were quite upsetting to me. Now, that being said, I don't mind constructive criticism. I really don't. But when it is questioning if it is indeed Dramione, when it states in the summary that it will be, I do not appreciate it. As well as seeming annoyed that I “Mary Sue’d” my way into my own story. If you'd like an explanation, if you are still reading, I will give you one. As you are reviewing from a guest account, it has to be here. Yes, the character is named Elle. Yes, my pen name is Elle. No, it was not intentional. I began writing this story before I made my FFN account. I used the name Elle for the character because I was watching a TV show at the time with a character named Elle. I used the pen name Elle, because I have the name in my own real life name. But, even if I wanted to write myself into -my- story, it is -my- personal decision. So, in the end of this rant, if you are still reading, if you don't like it, please, move on to another story.
> 
> To my loyal readers, I love you endlessly. You make my days brighter.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> Please, please, please review.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

When Hermione woke the next morning, she fully expected to be alone in her flat. She slid from her bed and entered her ensuite bathroom, relieving her bladder. After washing her hands and face, she proceeded to brush her teeth and hair, humming quietly to herself. Last night had been wonderful for the most part. While she felt slightly horrible for the way she just stormed away from Ron, she also felt proud of herself for standing her ground and sticking to the morals she had set for herself.

Once she had finished in the bathroom, she returned to her bedroom and began making her bed--a habit she had kept from her youth. Her mum had never let her leave the house without making her bed, and she wasn't going to start breaking tradition now. When she left her room to go to the kitchen, she stopped dead at the head of the short hallway. There, dangled across her couch, was a gangly red-head, snoring loudly.

She was honestly surprised she had slept through that racket. She nudged his foot, “Ron. Ronald! Wake up!”

And just like before fourth year, he startled awake, clasping his hands to his chest, giving an almost feminine shriek. She supposed it was conditioned from years of living in fear of the twins’ pranks. “Oh, Mione. I'm sorry. I, uh, well, you said that…” 

She cut him off with a soft sigh. “I'm perfectly aware of what I said, Ron. So, I am going to assume that you are okay with the fact that I want to wait for sex?”

She watched as the wheels turned in his head, he was still waking up after all, but after a while he nodded, “Yes, I am. And I promise to not push you, either. If I ever do, you have permission to hex me to bits.” 

She laughed mirthlessly. “Don't think I won't, Ron.” Hermione walked into the kitchen, and opened the fridge to start gathering food for breakfast. She knew Ron would be hungry, and since he had stayed to show her he was serious about a relationship, it was the least she could do.

XxX

Monday rolled around bright and early. Hermione groaned as she rolled from her bed, quickly making it up. She had received Malfoy’s owl and had cleared her schedule after lunch for the meeting with him and Ms. Jameson. Hopefully they would have everything they needed to finally get the ball rolling on this decree.

In her bathroom, she used her wand to dry her hair into a straight and shiny mane, hanging down her back, dusting the top of her ass. She had recently thought about cutting her hair, but had decided against it. She loved when she wore it straight and the length it reached. She applied a light layer of makeup next, setting it off with a splash of a burgundy lipstick. She had no idea where that streak of boldness had come from. Perhaps it was Ginny’s fault.

When she was finished in the bathroom, she stood before her closet, trying to decide what to wear. Luckily for her, being Deputy Head of the department, she wasn't required to wear robes. She pulled a charcoal colored pencil skirt from the closet first, then debated on which blouse to choose. She finally settled on a deep green silk blouse, thinking it would go well with her lipstick. She pulled a matching bra and knickers from her bureau, in the same shade of green as her blouse. After all, she couldn't have her bra showing through.

Once dressed, she made sure her blouse was tucked nicely into the skirt. She found a pair of stilettos that perfectly matched her lipstick. With a grin, she slid her feet into them. She didn't wear heels that often at the office, but she was seeing Malfoy today. As he was always dressed to impress, she would be too. Plus, now that she and Ron were dating, she had someone to impress. Not that Ron was actually on her mind at this particular moment...

With a final look in her floor-length mirror, Hermione gave herself a nod of approval and left for the living room. She smiled down at Crookshanks. “Hey there, Crooks. How do I look?” When she got a purr and a flick of his bushy tail, she took it for approval, dropped some food into his bowl and grabbed the floo powder. She lifted her wand to cast a protection spell on her look before stepping into the empty fireplace, throwing the Floo powder and calling out, “MY OFFICE!”

She closed her eyes against the images of passing grates. That was the one thing, after years of Floo travel, that she couldn't get used to. When she came to a stop, her office peeking out at her through the open fireplace, she stepped free. Her assistant, Daneel, was waiting for her with her morning coffee and a smile. “Good morning, Hermione. There was an owl waiting from Director Potter this morning. Auror Weasley needs you to sign off on a request for some equipment. They found a new cursed object. Aurors Fulgar and Goldstein had an incident happen yesterday--that report is on your desk already for your review and signature.”

Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Holding a hand out for her coffee, she silently sent out a prayer to whoever was listening for Harry to return soon. This is why she had turned down the department head position. Yes, she had been offered the position before Harry had. And she had flat out refused. It was too much stress. “Thank you, Daneel. And please remember to clear my schedule after lunch. I do not know how long my meeting with Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Jameson will run.”

Daneel nodded with a small smile, “You got it, Hermione, anything else you need?” 

Hermione went to shake her head but stopped. “Actually, do you know where that muggle McDonald's is? Just outside of Diagon Alley?” When she received a nod, she continued, “Excellent. Go there and get two orders of their hot cakes, please. Extra syrup. And get yourself whatever you'd like.” Hermione dug in her purse and found her Muggle money. She handed over what was sure to be more than enough and smiled at the witch.

“I'll return shortly, Hermione.” The witch looked a little uncomfortable to be going into muggle London, but then again, she was a pureblood. She had probably never been in any muggle city alone. Hermione took her seat and first pulled the letter from Harry to her, shaking her head. “Harry James Potter. You are on your honeymoon.” Carefully opening the parchment to avoid a papercut, Hermione unrolled it and began to read:

Hermione,

This place of Malfoy’s is incredible. Ginny says hello. She's actually screaming it. I just wanted to write to you and tell you to remember to breathe while you're standing in for me. I know it can be a bit stressful at times. But you're brilliant and you can handle it. Don't let those tossers push you around, especially Ron. But then again, you know how to handle him. Watch out for Fulgar and Goldstein, they tend to have accidents all the time. A few more and they will be reported to Kingsley and relegated to desk jobs. They're a danger to the whole bloody department really. Anyway, remember to breathe. There shouldn't be anything major coming your way in the next couple of weeks while I am gone. I rescheduled all of that for when I get back.

We love you and we miss you.

X,  
Harry and Ginny Potter.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. Harry knew her, and his department, so very well. He had really been the perfect choice for head. She did exactly what he had told her to do, as well, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She held onto that breath for as long as she could and released it slowly. When she was done, she opened her eyes and pulled Ron's request to her.

Her eyes scanned the scrawled handwriting, years of deciphering it during school making it easier to read. They had found a cursed muggle Nintendo GameBoy. Oh man, Arthur Weasley would love to get ahold of one of those. Maybe she would get him one for Christmas. The cursed object, however, would permanently stick the user's fingers to the buttons and fixate their eyes to the screen. It seemed, basically, that the player couldn't stop playing, and therefore, could not eat or drink, effectively starving to death.

That in itself was pretty juvenile compared to some of the cases the auror department received. Hermione quickly signed off on the containment devices that Ron and his partner would need. A knock at her door had her looking up. “Come in.” When her door opened, she smiled, the mop of red hair she had just been thinking of stuck itself around the jamb. “Hey you.” She stood and walked over, opening the door wide.

Ron stepped in and she closed the door behind him. In a moment, he leaned down and cradled her face in his hands. In the next, his lips had crushed hers, rather clumsily, as he kissed her. She returned the kiss, her arms draping around his neck, the heels adding extra height so she wasn't completely bowed back. She smiled when she broke the kiss and stepped back. “Well, hello to you, too, Ron. I signed your request form. You're good to go.” She bent forward and grabbed the form, she could feel his eyes on her, but chose to ignore it.

When she straightened and handed the form over, she smiled at him again, and fixed her blouse. “Is there anything else you needed? I do have a rather busy morning. I have that incident report of Fulgar and Goldstein’s to go over. As well as a couple of meetings I had to reschedule to this morning.” 

Ron shook his head as his eyes still roamed over her. “What did you get all dressed up for?” 

She frowned a little, “Dressed up? This is what I normally wear. The only difference is I wore heels and lipstick. I think Ginny is rubbing off on me.” 

She laughed at that and Ron grinned. “Well, if she is, I like it. Have a good day, Mione.”

After Ron left, Hermione sat back down at her desk and groaned when she saw the stack of parchment that was Fulgar and Goldstein’s incident file. It wasn't just the incident in question, either. It was every one of them. And if Hermione was anything, she was thorough. She started from the beginning; it wasn't too bad. Just apparition gone wrong. Fulgar had been injured and Goldstein had tried to Apparate him to St. Mungo’s, but had almost splinched his ear off.

Before she moved onto the second incident report, there was a rap on her door, she looked up at the frosted glass and could tell it was Daneel. She jumped up as her stomach growled and opened the door. “Oh, Daneel. Thank you so much!” 

As Daneel tottered in, two plastic bags filled with McDonald’s she grinned. “You're welcome. That place is crazy at this time of morning. Here is yours. And your change. Thank you for breakfast.” 

She turned to leave, but Hermione stopped her. “Why don't you eat in here with me, hmm?” Daneel blinked in surprise, sure, they spoke on a first name basis, but that was about as friendly as they got.

“Are you sure?” Her assistant asked. 

“Positive.” Hermione pulled out her wand and waved it once, her desk clearing completely. “It'll be nice to have some company. Normally I eat breakfast with Harry.” 

Daneel smiled and nodded, taking the chair on the front side of Hermione’s desk. “Yeah, I normally eat breakfast with his assistant, Jeffrey. But Harry gave him the two weeks off as well.” A subtle blush crept up Daneel’s cheeks and Hermione had to smile. Daneel clearly fancied Jeffrey; she wondered if Jeffrey felt the same.

Hermione set to work on buttering her hot cakes, letting the butter melt completely before she cut them up. She looked up at Daneel, who had gotten the breakfast platter, which included eggs, sausage, a hashbrown, biscuit and hotcakes. She liked a girl with an appetite and was glad that Daneel had indulged herself, instead of holding back. Hermione opened her syrup packages and poured them all over the little pieces of hotcakes, letting the sugary liquid soak in. It was the best way to make sure each piece of pancake was touched by and soaked in syrup. Most people were appalled by how much syrup Hermione used, but Daneel used two packets herself.

Breakfast was a quiet affair after all, but the company was nice to have. When Daneel left, Hermione thought that their relationship had moved one step closer to a friendship. Hermione returned to the incident file of the two aurors, reading through each report and shaking her head as report after report got increasingly worse. The most recent one made it seem like Fulgar and Goldstein had not only no regard for not only their own personal safety, but also none for those of the witches and wizards around them. Rising from her seat, she grabbed the voluminous file and headed straight for the Minister’s office.

After a satisfying tirade in Kingsley’s office, Hermione had officially done what Harry hadn't yet. She had parked Fulgar and Goldstein behind desks. They were a danger to themselves and the community and Kingsley had agreed. Now, as she checked her watch, she realized she had missed the meeting she had rescheduled with the Head for the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Oh well, Justin would understand. She would have Daneel reschedule for tomorrow.

It was nearing lunch now, and she needed to go and eat before her meeting with Malfoy and Ms. Jameson at one.

XxX

Draco had tossed and turned in his bed all night. The meeting with Granger weighed on his mind heavily. Truth be told, he was nervous--a feeling he was very uncomfortable with, as it was one that didn't plague him often, if at all. “Spritzy!” He called for the elf as he sat up in bed. It was now half past eight in the morning. Which meant it was nearing four in the morning in New York. He'd feel like shite for this later, but right now, he needed some relief. 

“Yes, Master Malfoy?” The elf bowed, straightening her dress. “Would you please go to Elle and see if she would come and meet me here? In my room? As soon as possible.”

The elf nodded, “Yes sir, Master.” 

Before she could disappear, though, Draco stopped her. “Just a moment, Spritzy.” He picked up his wand and transfigured a muggle pen into a rose, handing it over to Spritzy. “Give this to her, please.” The way Draco saw it, that would probably help his chances. Especially since he was pulling her from her sleep so early. With a pop, Spritzy disappeared and Draco slid from his bed.

He went to his bathroom and pulled his silk robe onto his arms, tying it loosely. With any luck, there was no need to get dressed fully. Then again, this was where his cocky behavior could get him into trouble. But as his Floo began to rumble, his trademark smirk lifted his lips. Hook, line and sinker. He stepped into the doorway of his bathroom, leaning against the jamb as Elle stepped free of the floo. She was dressed in what was no doubt going to be her meeting clothes. But her still sleepy eyes held a hint of yearning, especially as they fell to the exposed skin of his torso. Oh, this was going to go exactly how he wanted it to.

Draco stood from his lean, and walked towards Elle, her green eyes widening just slightly as he neared her. He watched as her throat contracted, clearly swallowing thickly. At his height, he towered over her by almost a foot, so much so that she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. Her slender throat exposed to him and he took advantage, reaching forward and gently running a slender finger up the pale column.

His eyes were on her lips, so when her tongue darted out to run across her lips, he watched in fascination. She had a plump bottom lip, but that wasn't too large to make her top lip look too thin. Her eyes were an alluring shade of green--a shade he could drown in, to be honest. When his fingers trailed along her jaw, she backed against the desk in his corner and he stepped flush against her. His thumb brushed along her bottom lip and he felt Elle’s intake of breath rush across the digit.

It was Draco’s turn to lick his lips as he leaned down, running his nose along Elle’s. Her already frantic breathing brushed across his lips, but that all stopped the moment he pressed his lips to hers. Her whimper was swallowed by him as his hand threaded into her dark hair. His free hand rested in the dip of her lower back and pulled her into him. When he released her lips, he mumbled against them with a smirk, “You're wearing entirely too much clothing.”

She whimpered again but nodded this time, her fingers starting at the buttons on her blouse. Her fingers were shaking and Draco couldn't help but smirk as he moved to help her, replacing her hands with his. Within moments, her blouse was on the floor and his hands were roaming her bare skin. His fingers encased her hips, finding the zipper for her skirt in the back and pulling it down gently, his lips meeting hers again.

Draco’s fingers easily dropped Elle’s skirt to the floor, his hands sliding down her thighs, hooking behind her knees and lifting her up off the floor. The walk over to the bed was short and Draco laid her out on the silk sheets, standing to deposit his robe. He watched as Elle hungrily roamed her eyes over his body. She sat up and ran her hands over his torso before she removed her own bra, tossing it in the direction of her clothes.

Draco’s sleep pants were the next to go, and as his erection sprung free, Elle licked her lips once again. Oh yeah, he'd definitely been right, she wanted him. “See something you like, Elle?” 

Her nod was all he needed. “Oh yes, Draco. I do.” She undulated her hips, her fingers reaching out to wrap around his rigid cock. He sucked in a breath on a hiss as he locked eyes with her, a silent challenge for her to take what she wanted. Merlin did she ever.

His cock was surrounded by a wet warmth as he head dropped back on his neck. A groan ripped up his throat, fingers winding into her hair as he let her do as she pleased. Before long, he had to get a glimpse at what she was doing. He just couldn't do without the visual anymore. When he let his head fall forward, he had to bite his bottom lip, her nose was dusting the blonde curls at the base of his cock. Her eyes were now locked on his as she closed her lips and created a suction on the way back up.

At the tip, he watched as her tongue made an appearance and swirled around his blunt head, making him clench his jaw and groan. Much more of this and he was going to blow, which was not what he wanted right now. He pulled away from Elle with a smirk, crawling his way onto the bed. His fingers hooked into the waist of her knickers and quickly discarded them with the rest of her clothes.

Draco found her lips once again as his fingers dove between her legs. She was wet and ready for him, moaning loudly as her back arched. He slid two fingers into her core and worked them back and forth slowly, curling them at just the right point to hit that sensitive pad of flesh. Her fingers were gripping his shoulders, nails biting into them. Draco traveled his lips down her jaw, nipping at the skin with his teeth.

Withdrawing his fingers almost felt like a crime, but he licked them clean anyway, savoring the taste of Elle. “Mmm, delicious.” He grabbed his wand from the bedside stand, and performed the contraceptive charm. Tossing his wand in the sheets, he claimed her mouth once again. Elle wrapped her legs around his waist and drew him in towards her warmth, biting at his bottom lip as she worked her warm core against his throbbing erection.

Draco took the hint and leaned back just a bit to adjust his cock and slide himself into her wet quim. They both moaned into the other's mouth at the feeling. He propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes on Elle’s with a smirk as he pulled his hips back. Her gasp of pleasure only made his smirk wider. He swung his hips back in, skin meeting skin, the sound echoing around the room.

Elle arched her back, sitting up to run her lips along Draco’s neck, sucking at the skin as her nails scratched along his back, no doubt leaving her mark. He wrapped his arms around her torso and sat them both up, letting her ride him, her hips moving in time with his. The new angle caused his cock to slide deeper. Draco found her lips once again, biting on her full lower lip as their hips smacked together. He could feel her getting close, the angle making him hit just the right spot.

His tongue found its way into her mouth, fingers winding into her hair as he changed their position again, laying her back out underneath him. He moved his arms behind her knees, pushing her legs up, keeping her hips tilted. His hips were pistoning against hers, sweaty skin slapping against sweaty skin. He leaned in, his lips closing around one of her peaked nipples, teeth nipping at the bud. He felt her walls clench around him, her legs trying to squeeze shut in anticipation of her approaching orgasm.

Draco increased the pace of his thrusting, sweat rolling down his temples and back. His breathing was heavy, matching Elle’s. His thrusts became erratic and rough as he looked down at her, his fingers gripping the sheets next to her hips. When she started to twist and arch on the bed, screaming his name. As her heat contracted around him, he grit his teeth. Crushing his lips to hers, he thrust again, burying himself inside of her as his own release hit. His seed spilled as deep inside her as it could go.

With a groan, he rolled free of Elle, collapsing on the bed, panting, his chest heaving. He heard a giggle beside him and he looked over at Elle. “Something funny?” 

She shook her head, brushing a stray hair back. “Nope, nothing at all.” She hid a yawn behind her hand. Draco checked the time on his wand and grinned, “We have a couple of hours before we need to meet Granger. How about we catch a nap?”

Elle grinned at him, nodded and positioned herself correctly in the bed, sliding between the silk sheets. Draco followed suit, set an alarm on his wand and pulled Elle close to him. The action didn't feel wrong, but it also didn't feel completely right either. But he didn't let it bother him. Instead, he just closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so I know some of you voiced concerns about Draco getting involved with Elle. But I can promise you that it will end well. Please just trust me.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, I'd like to apologize a little bit for my rant yesterday. It was a typical Elle move, bottle it all up and then it all explodes. So, for that I apologize, though, I will not apologize for the way I have written this story so far, as it is mine.
> 
> In an effort to wash out the negativity yesterday's update brought, I decided to post the next chapter. We finally get to see the fruits of the labor that Draco, Hermione and Elle have put in over the course of a year or so. I hope y'all enjoy this update.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

A couple of hours later, Draco’s wand started to ring an alarm, rousing him from his nap. He lifted his arms above his head for a stretch, realizing for the first time that Elle wasn’t in the bed with him. A quiet humming from the direction of the bathroom, however, told him that she was still here with him. He couldn’t explain the feeling in his chest at the thought of her in his private space.

The idea of someone else in his personal space was both oddly comforting and disconcerting. But that was simply because he wasn’t used to it. The truth was, he couldn’t wait for the day to come when he would share his life with someone. Arguments over who left the light on downstairs, where to put the toothpaste, which pillow went where when the bed was made. Draco had to smile at that—he wondered if those particulars would be something Elle would pick little fights over.

As she continued to move about the marble expanse, no doubt getting dressed, Draco found that he did like someone else moving about his space. He just wasn’t sure that he loved that it was Elle. Granted, this was all new with her. Just a one-time thing for the moment. But he could see maybe exploring something more with her. He may have misjudged her at first when he had assumed that she would be the type to get too attached.

Draco slid from the bed. Moving to his closet, he pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and slacks. He walked into the bathroom, smiling as he slid his arms around Elle’s waist from behind. “Making yourself at home, aren’t we?” 

He watched in the mirror as she blushed. “Well, I decided I may need to freshen up just a bit. It was much easier than taking the Floo home.”

He chuckled, kissing along her neck gently. She had already dressed and had been in the process of doing her hair when he had interrupted. “By all means, sweetheart, you use whatever you can find in here. I honestly don’t mind.” His hands trailing her hips, he grinned and pulled her hair to the side, he couldn’t reach enough of her neck with his lips.

“I’m going to go and finish getting dressed, sweetheart.” With a wink and a playful smack to her arse, Draco left Elle to finish getting ready. Back at his closet, he pulled out a crisp, black shirt and slid it onto his arms. Once the buttons were in their correct holes, he tucked the tails into his pants. Naturally, he picked out the Slytherin green tie, which he quickly tied into a Windsor knot. Just as he was finishing, he heard a contented sigh behind him.

He turned and gave Elle a grin. “What?” 

She just shook her head. “Just something about a man in a suit. Damn.” 

Draco chuckled and shook his head. “We should be going or we’re going to be late, Elle. So quit your ogling.” She laughed and blushed, but headed for the Floo, grabbing her bag on the way.

“Ministry of Magic!” She called out once she stepped inside. After she disappeared, Draco followed suit, palming his own handful of Floo powder. He called out for the Ministry and disappeared from his bedroom as well. Elle was waiting for him just out of the grates, dusting the soot off of her skirt. She smiled when she saw him walk over to her. 

“Ready, Ms. Jameson?” 

She stifled a giggle, but nodded. “I am, Mr. Malfoy. Lead the way, please.”

XxX

“Thank you, Mr. Golman. I really appreciate your advice and support.” Hermione scribbled down a couple of more points that he had given her as she hung up the phone. As she looked at the muggle clock she had on her desk, she groaned. Malfoy and Ms. Jameson would be here in a few minutes time. Her phone conference with Mr. Golman had run over and she’d missed lunch. Truth be told, she was thankful that she’d had such a big breakfast, but she was a little nervous.

She stood, straightening her skirt and retucking her blouse once more. Fidgeting, she was officially fidgeting. But she couldn’t seem to force herself to stop. She straightened her desk, fiddling with her pens in their holder, and pulled the Domestic Abuse Decree file out of her drawer. She sat it on her desk, opened it, then closed it. Opened it again, spread out the sheets they would need to look at first.

She was just about to put them all back in the file folder again when there was a knock on her door. “Yes?” she called out. 

“Granger, it’s Malfoy and Ms. Jameson.” She walked over and opened her office door, plastering a smile on her face. 

“Hello! Welcome to the Ministry, Ms. Jameson. Malfoy, welcome back. Please, come in and have a seat.”

Draco and Elle walked into her office, spacious though it was, it became cramped with three wizards occupying it. As Hermione nodded at Malfoy, he took a chair, smirking at her--that action had her almost going weak at the knees. She simply rolled her eyes and moved to give Ms. Jameson a quick hug. “Thank you so much for sparing the time to meet with us, Ms. Jameson. It will be a great help.” When she pulled away, she could smell a masculine scent all over Elle’s clothing. But it wasn't just her clothing, it was on her skin as well.

Hermione frowned, she knew that scent. It was as familiar to her as Harry or Ron’s. This woman had slept with Draco, recently. An unexplained feeling settled in her gut, one that had her blood heating to a quick simmer, but she quickly stamped it down. Instead, she gestured to the remaining chair, waiting for Ms. Jameson to take her seat. 

“Please, call me Elle.”

After Elle had seated herself, Hermione smiled and nodded, “Of course, and please, call me Hermione. Now, I have here the file I have compiled on the decree. There are copies for each of us.” Hermione handed the other two the copies of parchment. “On the parchment in front of you is the list that Malfoy and I have compiled over the last year, since the increase in incidents at the Dublin house.”

Malfoy and Elle both began reading over the document, as Hermione looked at her own copy. “I think we should go over each law by itself, and Elle, you can give your input on it. Give your approval, or let us know  if there is anything we need to change. Or if we should strike it altogether. Sound good?” 

Elle nodded with a smile, “Sounds good, Hermione.” Elle glanced at Malfoy and gave him a seductive smile, Hermione wished she had missed it. It caused a twisting, nauseating feeling in her gut.

Hermione cleared her throat as she started to read off the first bullet on the paper:

If a victim acquires a restraining order against their abuser, and it is violated, a magical barrier appears, throwing the abuser against a wall. The barrier sticks him/her there with a permanent sticking charm until aurors arrive.

First offense for violating the restraining order: a minimum fine of 500 Galleons, the amount increasing depending on the reason for the restraining order.

Second offense: Six months to five years in Azkaban, depending on the reason for the restraining order.

Third offense: Life in Azkaban.

Malfoy looked up from the parchment at Hermione and smiled. “A permanent sticking charm? Nice one Granger. But how does the sticking charm release, if it’s permanent?” 

Hermione rolled her eyes at the pale haired wizard. “Because it is a charm of my own design, Malfoy. So I, of course, have a charm that would reverse it. Every auror will be taught both charms.”

Elle, however was still looking over the parchment in her hands. “This is actually brilliant, Hermione. We may have to steal that idea for future reference. The consequences sound adequate. This law, I do believe, is a keeper, Hermione.” Hermione couldn’t help but smile at the praise, it was her default setting after all. She was, as always, striving for approval. But then that seductive smile that Elle had thrown Malfoy crept back into her mind and she felt sick again.

Clearing her throat once again, Hermione moved on to the second law. “This one was actually Draco…” Hermione paused, she never used Malfoy’s given name, swallowing thickly, she continued, “Malfoy’s idea. Especially considering he was Snape’s favorite.”

If an abuser uses a potion, love or otherwise, to solicit a sexual relationship with their partner against the partner’s will, he/she will lose the ability to buy or purchase any potions and will be put on an international registry. The registry will be delivered to all apothecaries and potion ingredient dealers so that they will know who they can and cannot sell to. There will be a trace put on any cauldron in his/her possession. For as long as he/she is on the registry, there will be a mandatory weekly check by a Ministry official, as well as a trace put back on him/her.

First offense: put on the registry for six months.

Second offense; put on the registry for one to five years and have his/her magic suspended for six months.

Third offense: on registry for life and have his/her magic suspended for two years.

Fourth offense: Have his/her magic suspended indefinitely.

Elle nodded as she finished reading the longer law, giving Malfoy a look of almost pride. Hermione was swamped with that odd feeling again; she pushed it aside, crossing her legs under her desk. “This is really great, Draco. There is already an international registry for witches and wizards that make illegal drug potions to get high. We could just easily add another branch to that for this law.” Malfoy’s chest puffed out with pride at the praise. He was just the same as Hermione, and it made her roll her eyes.

“Right, so that is the second one out of the way. Now onto the third one, which is a bit of a one-two punch that Malfoy and I came up with together. It is already, in and of itself, a law on its own, but we thought it needed to be included.”

Use of the Imperius or Cruciatus against a partner results in an immediate life sentence in Azkaban. If an abuser were to use the Avada Kedavra curse on their partner, that would result in an immediate life sentence in Azkaban, as well as the Dementor's Kiss.

Elle’s head bobbed, some of her hair slipping over her shoulder. Hermione watched as she moved the strand behind her ear and back into place. She supposed that Elle was beautiful; she could see the appeal she would hold for Malfoy. When Elle spoke, it broke Hermione from her faults. “I could see why you added it though. It would serve as a clarification, just in case they would try to see it as loophole.”

“Now, the next one, I read through it already, and I agree with it as well.” Elle read it aloud herself. Her voice carried in Hermione’s office, making Hermione’s hackles rise. This was her meeting, not Elle’s.

If an abuser withholds his/her partner’s wand, food, or healthcare, or otherwise mentally abuses them, this will result in:

First offense: suspension of magic for six months.

Second offense: sentenced to Azkaban for three months.

Third offense: suspension of magic for one to two years.

Fourth offense: sentenced to Azkaban for five to ten years.

Fifth offense: permanent suspension of magic and/or life sentence in Azkaban.

“It gives the abuser multiple chances to change their ways, but the punishments also aren’t too harsh for the first or second offenses.” Elle stated. Hermione tried to tell herself to stop grinding her teeth, but it did no good.

XxX

Bloody Hell. Draco thought as he sat through this meeting. He didn’t know whether to be turned on or scared to death. Elle was definitely turning him on. He’d never really seen her brainy side, her work side, other than a few glimpses out in the field when they met up. But on the other hand, Granger over there was glaring daggers at Elle. He didn’t know what the American woman had done to earn Granger’s ire, but he sure as hell didn’t want to find out. He could practically see Granger’s jaw clenching from here.

He also hadn’t missed that he and Granger were essentially matching when he had entered her office either. Gryffindor’s little Princess had on a Slytherin green silk blouse. The Slytherin in him said she had done it on purpose. But then his rational mind said that she had probably just picked out a random shirt and it just so happened to be green. Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, they matched—her shirt and his tie.

He cleared his throat, pulling himself from his mental tirade. The women had taken to staring each other down and he could see a head-on collision coming if he didn’t step in. “The next two laws that Granger and I came up with in hopes that, once this one was established, the Wizengamot would pick it up and expand it. We both know that domestic abuse isn’t just between adults. A lot of the time, it involves children, in many different and unimaginable ways.”

If any type of abuse happens in front of a child:

First offense: a fine of 1000 Galleons.

Second offense: magic suspended for six months.

Third offense: a six-month stay in Azkaban.

If a child is inadvertently harmed in a domestic dispute, whatever injury they receive will be magically duplicated on the abuser. If the injury requires medical attention or a stay in the hospital, the same will be mirrored onto the abuser, by whatever means the wounds were inflicted.  
Following healing and/or release from the hospital, the abuser will then be released into the custody of the Ministry for transportation to Azkaban for a life sentence.

Elle looked almost taken aback, “Doesn’t this seem a bit harsh? Having the abuser suffering the same injuries as a child?” 

Granger shook her head, “If you think about it, a bruised cheek, or a broken arm, it wouldn’t be much to an adult. But to a child, that would be much more traumatic.” 

Elle took her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought about that, but finally nodded in agreement. “Yes, I suppose so. These all look great, Draco, Hermione. I think you both have constructed a really great foundation. The Wizengamot has no choice but to pass this and build on it.”

Elle looked down at her watch with a smile, “I do, however, need to get going. My day back home is about to start. I hope you both have a great day.” She rose, shook Draco’s hand and gave him a lingering look—one that was full of promise and meaning. One that Draco understood all too well and that he hoped Granger didn't interpret. Elle turned to shake Granger’s hand with a genuine smile. “May I use your Floo, Hermione?”

Granger nodded stiffly, “Yes, go right ahead. Have a safe trip and a good day.” Draco watched Elle leave, giving her a wink with the eye Granger couldn't see. But Merlin could he feel her eyes boring into him. In his head he started to count down—five, four, three, two, one…

“You shagged her didn’t you?!” Granger asked, her voice climbing an octave. 

“What’s it to you, Granger? I’m a free wizard, I can shag who I please.” Draco shrugged, buttoning up his jacket with a smirk. “Come on, Granger, pick up your chin. Or else I’ll start to think you’re jealous. Besides, I’m surprised you’re not shagging the Weasel already.”

He watched as a blush rose up the column of Granger’s throat. He wanted to run his fingers along the reddened skin, to feel the warmth. “I...You...Shut up, Malfoy. You prick! Get out of my office.” 

Draco chuckled, heading for the door to her office just the same. “Only because I have other matters to attend to. After all, I am head of my own company. Have a good day...Hermione.” Oh yeah, he wasn’t going to let her think he hadn’t caught her earlier slip.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her renewed blush as he shut the door to her office. It was so much fun to rile her up, get her blood pumping. It gave him an adrenaline rush. Not to mention he liked the way she looked when she blushed. When he finally exited the Ministry, he apparated to his office, a note from Elle was waiting for him.

Draco,

I really enjoyed last night. Or rather, this morning. You know how to reach me.

XoXo,

Elle.

Draco kicked his head back to laugh softly. Yeah, he was definitely reading between her lines and picking up what she was putting down. He wrote out a quick reply to her, summoned Spritzy to take it to Elle, and bent double over his desk to finish out the rest of his work day.

XxX

“How dare he? That foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach! How dare he insinuate that I—that Ron and I—that...UGH!” Hermione was pacing in her now empty office, her hair crackling with magic in her anger and frustration. Malfoy knew just how to get under her skin, even after all these years and his change in personality.

But, in all honesty, she had asked for it. What had that word vomit been? It was like she just couldn’t keep it in. She had just had to know if he had actually slept with Elle. Of course, Hermione had known. When she had hugged Elle, she could practically taste Draco’s cologne and natural scent, it was so strong.

So why did it bother her so much? Hermione’s angry march was interrupted by a knock on her office door. “Who is it?” 

Instead of an answer, the door opened and Ron stuck his head around the jamb, “Hey, Mione. How did the meeting with Malfoy go?”

Hermione marched forward, grabbed Ron by the collar of his robes and dragged him into her office. She pulled his face down to hers and crushed her lips to his, kissing him deeply. She needed a distraction, and snogging your sort-of boyfriend was the perfect way to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Did we see a little bit of jealousy in the meeting? Please let me know what you think.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Guess what! Finally some Dramione action in this chapter! Some true interaction in a non official setting! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. I truly enjoyed writing it. From here on out, the story really picks up and gets to where I envisioned it.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!

Late July had slipped into August and now it was nearing September. As Hermione and Ron walked along Diagon Alley hand in hand, she could see a few families doing some last minute shopping before school started the next week. “Don't you miss it, Ron? Going off to Hogwarts?” She looked up at her boyfriend with a smile, watching as his face wrinkled. 

“Bloody hell, no. You know I only passed because of you. I like where I am now just fine. Being an Auror is the best.”

Hermione had laughed. She had, of course, known his answer all along. She was the only one out of the three of them that had returned to Hogwarts after the war. In fact, McGonagall still wrote to her, in hopes that she would come and be a professor. But she loved her job in the Ministry.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Ron tugged her off course. She looked up and laughed. He was headed for Quality Quidditch Supplies. “You do realize, that if you drag me in there. I will drag you into Flourish and Blotts.” He just waved her off with a roll of his eyes. She laughed again and followed him into the store. He was worse than a kid in a candy shop, his eyes alight with a joy that was near indescribable.

Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes as he let go of her hand to look at the newest broom. She just stood next to him, staring out of the window at the street beyond. Off in the distance, a head of blonde hair caught her attention. She watched as Draco ducked into Flourish and Blotts. Their Domestic Abuse Decree had been passed without any problems. The Wizengamot had even expanded on their child abuse laws, much to their excitement.

She glanced at Ron, who was still engrossed in ogling that racing broom. “Ron, I’m going to Flourish and Blotts. Come find me when you’re done drooling.” She didn’t wait for a response, she knew she wouldn’t receive an intelligent one anyway.

Finally leaving the Quidditch store behind, Hermione breathed in the fresh air before heading to her favorite store in Diagon Alley. Once inside, she inhaled again, filling her lungs with the scent of books old and new. She wound her way through the stacks, fingers trailing along the spines. She wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but pulled out a copy of Hogwarts: A History. Her old favorite.

This copy was a more recent edition; what she wouldn’t give to get her hands on a first edition.

“Just how many copies of that book do you have, Granger?” 

Hermione screamed, whirling around and using the heavy book as a defensive object, hitting Malfoy in the arm with it. “Draco Malfoy! What in the bloody hell did you do that for? It’s not nice to sneak up on people like that!”

“Ow! Fuck, Granger! That book is like a brick! That shite fucking hurts!” Draco whined, rubbing his arm through his suit jacket. 

“Well you deserved it, arsehole.” Hermione huffed, brushing her hair behind her ear as she returned the book to its rightful place. 

“Right, I am sorry, Granger. Truly.” His whole demeanor changed when he apologized, he stopped rubbing his arm and his normal, haughty expression was gone. 

It took Hermione aback for a moment, but she recovered quickly and smiled at him. “I accept your apology, Malfoy. So, how is life lately?”

Malfoy shrugged with a grin, “Life is life, Granger. Just running my company, not much more than that. Oh, and appeasing my mother’s every whim. Now she is wanting to run off to Paris for a week.” Malfoy chuckled and Hermione smiled. 

“Well, Paris is very beautiful. At least, muggle Paris is. I’ve never been to wizarding Paris. Are you going to take her?”

“Of course I am. Happy mum, happy life. Isn’t that what the saying is? Or not.” Draco laughed, truly laughed. The sound gave Hermione chills. In all the years they had known each other, she had never heard him laugh. 

“Will Elle be joining the two of you?” Last Hermione had heard, they were still dating—though that had been a couple of weeks ago.

Malfoy rubbed the back of his neck, looking extremely awkward at the question posed to him, “Ah, we actually broke things off last week. It was just really difficult to keep up such a long distance relationship. Not that the traveling was the problem. Especially not with the Floo Network. But with the five-hour time difference, it was hard for either of us to meet up at an appropriate time.

“It was either too early for her, or too late for me. Or it was interfering with our jobs. So, she and I just decided that remaining friends and business associates would be for the best.” Hermione nodded, seeing the sense and logic behind that. Also, it felt as if a curious weight had been lifted from her body.

“I am deeply sorry to hear that, Malfoy. I thought you both had great chemistry.” She was lying through near gritted teeth, but she didn’t think he could tell. 

“So how are things with the Weaselbee?” 

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Malfoy, grow up. Things have been going remarkably well. We are really enjoying getting to know one another.” 

At that statement, Malfoy raised his brows. “Getting to know one another? You two and Potter were attached at the hip all throughout our school years. I’d say you know each other pretty well, wouldn’t you?”

Hermione scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t see why it matters to you. But if you must know, we haven’t had much time to spend with each other over the last few years. And we have all changed after the war. So we are reacquainting ourselves with one another.”

XxX

Draco truly tried not to look at Granger’s chest when she crossed her arms. But the view was just too tempting. His eyes flicked down quickly, but then just as quickly, they were back on hers. What she was saying made sense, they had all changed since the war had ended, himself included. He supposed it made sense that you would have to reacquaint yourself with your friend after spending time apart.

“Okay, okay, I surrender, Granger. You win.” 

Granger smiled up at him, her eyes crinkled at the corners when she did that. It was kind of adorable. “Smart wizard, Mr. Malfoy.” 

He smirked at her, “Well, if I remember correctly, I was the smartest wizard in our year. That has to count for something.”

Draco leaned against a shelf, grinning down at the witch before him. She had started to shake her head, a wide grin on her own face. “You always were a cocky twit. Nice to see that hasn't changed.”

“Well, one can't change their ways completely, Granger. Some things have to stick. You are still a know-it-all swot after all.”

Granger’s jaw dropped at his words, but there was a grin behind the shock as she reached her hand forward and smacked his bicep yet again. “Prick.” Draco opened his mouth to utter a retort when he was cut off. 

“‘Mione? Why are you talking to that ferret? Is he bothering you?” Draco rolled his eyes as the Weasel showed up.

Granger drew in a deep breath, releasing it slowly before answering her boyfriend, “No, Ronald, he wasn't bothering me. We were having a civil conversation, like two normal adults.” 

Ron turned his eyes away from Draco finally, to look at Granger. “What are you saying? That I can’t hold an adult conversation? That I can’t be civil?” Draco could see the Weasel’s temper rising and he could tell this wasn’t going to be good.

“No, Ron. That is not what I was saying. You are perfectly capable of holding a civil conversation, with anyone other than that man right there.” At this, she pointed at Draco and he actually wanted to shrink in on himself. If there was anything he had learned in the time after third year and the war, you did not want to be on the other side of Hermione’s wrath.

“That’s because he’s a tool and a menace and he tortured us all throughout our years at Hogwarts! Before he found his guilty conscience and realized he was on the wrong side of the war and chose to help! He’s no better than that no-good father of his. Serves him right that a Weasley was the one to take him out.”

Weaselbee’s ears were now as red as his hair, but Granger’s hair was starting to frizz and crackle with magic. Draco would have come to his own defense, but Granger beat him to it. Smart man that Draco was, he took a couple of steps farther away. But that distance did nothing to distract him from the fact that he found Granger extremely fucking hot at the moment.

XxX

Ron had just gone one step too far, but he hadn’t seemed to notice it. Hermione could feel her hair crackling with her magic as she stepped closer to Ron, her finger poking into his chest. “You listen to me, Ronald Weasley. You are going to apologize to Draco right here and now. Then you are going to go home to your flat and think about your actions. I will contact you when I am good and bloody well ready and no longer pissed off at you. But I also want you to think about this, and I will be writing it down for you. A great man from America, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., once said, ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.’”

At this point, Hermione crossed her arms, her eyes boring into Ron. She could tell when his anger turned into embarrassment, the red in his ears deepened to more of a purple. “Mione, I, uh, I don’t think…” But the glare that she shot him had him shutting his mouth. Then he turned to Malfoy, his head ducked mumbling quietly. “I’m sorry, Malfoy.”

XxX

Draco listened to Ron’s mumbled apology, a snarky reply on the tip of his tongue to spit towards the Weasel. But yet again, Hermione beat him to it, “Excuse me? I didn’t hear you, Ronald. Or, actually, I did. But if you call that an apology, I think you are very sadly mistaken. Try again.” Ron’s eyes snapped up to glare at Granger. He had apparently expected that kind of remark from Draco, not his girlfriend.

Draco cleared his throat, “Hermione, it’s fine, really.” He put his hand on her shoulder, and when she looked at him, he nodded at her. 

She took a deep breath and seemed to deflate with its release. “Goodbye, Ronald. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Ron left without saying another word, his shoulders slumped in dejection. Draco let his hand slide free of Granger’s shoulder.

She gave him a sad smile as she looked up at him, “I am sorry about him, Draco. He can be so childish still. I think it stems from him being one of the youngest in his family.” Draco still couldn’t deny the thrill he got every time he heard her say his first name. While it only seemed to come out in times of great emotion, he cherished it every time.

On the opposite side of that, he also got a thrill from saying hers. He wondered if she hated the pet name that the Weasel had given her, because he sure as hell did. What the hell kind of nickname was ‘Mione anyway? It was like the arse was too lazy to say her full name and it was a beautiful name. Mentally shaking himself, he reasserted himself into the conversation, “I can understand that, though. I am an only child of a pureblood family. I was raised to be a selfish, prejudiced, judgmental arse.”

Hermione chuckled quietly as she ran her fingers along the spine of a book. “I suppose you are right, of course. But he was still way out of line. Especially what he said about your father.” She looked at him, her eyes sad and remorseful as if she had said the words herself. 

“Hermione, believe me when I say, I am glad my father is gone. While the Weas—while Weasley may have been out of line, he was right.

“Lucius deserved to be taken down by someone he deemed below him. Even though that someone was also of the same blood status. Arthur Weasley represents everything that my no-good father could never have been. He was an over-bearing, manipulative and abusive arsehole. With him gone, I have never felt more free in my life. My mother no longer cowers in fear. We are finally free.”

Draco watched as a tear escaped Hermione’s eye and slid down her cheek. He couldn’t have stopped himself even if he wanted to—his arm extended as he leaned forward and wiped the tear from her cheek. He rubbed it away between his thumb and forefinger, looking down into her eyes. “Please don’t cry for me. I’d hate to have you ruin my good handkerchief.”

She laughed then and that was what he had been aiming for. He stepped away from her, trying to control his rapid heart rate. “You are such an arse, Malfoy.” She crossed her arms again and sighed softly. “I think it is time that I go home. Crookshanks is probably getting hungry anyway.”

“That old bag of fur is still alive?” Draco asked, fully bracing himself for the backhanded smack to his abdomen that he saw coming. 

“Draco Malfoy! Don’t you dare talk about my cat like that!” 

He laughed loudly, the sound echoing in the aisle they were in. “My apologies, Granger. I am so glad that he is still living. Shall I walk you out?” She laughed with him and nodded, walking ahead of him.

“Yes, he is still living. And doing quite well.” Hermione reached the door, but Draco beat her to the handle, pulling it open for her, his hand hovering just over her lower back.

“I’m surprised, to be honest, that a half-kneazle has lived so long.” Once they were outside, they stood facing each other a bit awkwardly.

“Well, goodbye, Draco!” She lifted up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek, then she turned on her heel and Disapparated right before his very eyes. 

Draco was left staring at the spot she had occupied, a tingling sensation where her lips had touched his skin. “Goodbye, Hermione.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really do hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. Much love!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For those of you who have stuck around, thank you so very, very much. I cannot begin to explain how much that means to me. And so, I will keep this short. This is the chapter we have all been waiting for. Please enjoy.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

Hermione had fallen asleep on her couch. She had been so pissed off at Ron when she’d gotten home that after feeding Crookshanks, she just sat down. Draco had been through so much the last couple of years that he didn’t deserve the animosity he faced every day. She had been thinking about ways to make Ron genuinely apologize when she’d fallen asleep.

So when she woke up, she was still in the same clothes, shoes still on her feet. Grumbling, she rose, rubbing her aching neck, all the while cursing Ron for her distractions. Her eyes glanced at the muggle clock—half past eleven in the morning. She really needed better sleep habits. It was a good thing it was Saturday.

She settled into making herself a brunch of eggs, sausage, toast and bran flakes. The coffee she poured was strong, but it made the ache in her temples bearable. While she ate, she tried to think of reasons to drop all of her anger towards Ron and how he had treated Draco.

Wait, since when did she refer to him as Draco? Even in her conscious thoughts? Clearing her mind of those thoughts, she finished her meal and cleaned the kitchen. She almost gave in and went to see Ron, but she decided to let him sweat it out a little longer. Besides it would do him some good to spend some time in the dog house.

Instead, she moved over to her fireplace, tossed a pinch of Floo powder into the grate and stuck her head in, calling out “Harry Potter residence.” She waited for a few minutes, wondering if Ginny was at Quidditch practice or not. She never knew for sure, but she didn’t have to wait much longer and Ginny was in front of her. “Hey, Hermione! How are you?”

“I’m fine! Are you and Harry busy? I thought I’d pop over for a visit.” 

Ginny grinned wide and shook her head, her fiery locks swaying. “No, we were just about to have a quick bite, but come on over.” 

Hermione smiled, “Okay, I’ll be there in just a minute. Just let me throw on some fresh clothes.” She barely caught Ginny’s distracted farewell as she pulled back.

She stood, rubbing her knees and headed for her room to change her clothes. Her plans were to talk to Harry and Ginny about what had happened yesterday with Ron and Draco. She quickly dressed, pulled her hair back into a ponytail and headed back to the Floo.

Throwing a handful of powder in, she called out once more, “Harry Potter residence.” As she was sucked into the vortex that was Floo travel, her mind whirled just like she was currently doing. When she saw the Potters’ living room, she stepped free of the Floo and coughed, covering her mouth.

“Hermione!” Ginny ran at her best friend and wrapped her in a hug. Hermione hadn’t actually seen her best girlfriend since she had gotten back from her honeymoon. She saw Harry at work all the time, though. 

Speaking of her first best friend, he rounded the corner and smiled at her. “Hey, Hermione, alright?” 

“Yeah, Harry. I’m alright.” 

Ginny waved her hands at him, and looked at Hermione, “How are things with Ron? I haven’t seen you in ages! You have to tell me everything!”

“Gin, it’s only been a month, calm down.” Harry rolled his eyes behind his wife’s back and motioned for Hermione to follow them into the dining room. Hermione hooked her arm with Ginny’s and led her into the dining room.

The table had been set for three and Hermione couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s thoughtfulness. She took her seat, looking over at Ginny, “Things had been going really well until yesterday.” Hermione sighed and leaned forward for the glass of wine that had been set out for her.

“What did the oaf do now?” Ginny asked as she started in on her steak and kidney pie. 

Hermione, though she had only eaten an hour ago, took a bite to be nice. “Well, we were shopping around Diagon Alley yesterday, just to get out and do something. And of course, he went straight for Quality Quidditch Supplies. I followed him in, but you know me, I hate Quidditch, so the store holds no interest for me. Instead, I left him there to drool over the new broom on display and went to Flourish and Blotts.”

At this there were plenty of nods and noises of understanding from her two friends as they ate. She took another bite of her own food, followed by a sip of wine before continuing. She deliberately left out that she had seen Malfoy enter the shop minutes before she decided to go in. “While I was inside Malfoy found me, scared me half to death because he snuck up on me. But we were talking, having a civil conversation.”

She was interrupted by Harry, who had just swallowed a bite of his pie, “Let me guess, Ron found you talking to him and insinuated that Malfoy was bothering you?” 

Hermione nodded, but rolled her eyes, halfway amused. “However did you guess?” 

Ginny snorted loudly, “Because he’s Ronald, and he’s an idiot.” 

Hermione nodded and continued yet again, launching into their argument, and how Draco had, much to her amazement, stayed silent throughout the whole thing.

“He really has changed himself in so many different ways and I know I can’t be the only one that had seen it.” Hermione, much to her surprise, finished off her steak and kidney pie. 

Harry chuckled as she looked down at her plate in confusion. “No, Hermione, you aren’t the only one who’s noticed. Loads of people have, but we all know how immature Ron is. How he will probably always be. You really can’t let it get to you.”

Hermione nodded, a soft sigh leaving her lips. “I suppose you’re right, Harry. I had already planned on going to his flat sometime today. I just wanted to give him more time to wallow in his remorse.” 

Ginny chuckled quietly, getting up to clear away the dirty dishes, “There’s our Hermione.” 

Hermione blushed at the praise, “I really should get going, though. I need to go to his flat and talk to him about this. I still think he needs to apologize sincerely.”

Ginny came back into the dining room and just gave Hermione a look, “You know as good as I do, Hermione, how unlikely that is to happen. Hell, Malfoy could probably save his life and he still would act like a prick towards him.” 

Hermione clenched her jaw, her teeth grinding together, “Yes, I know. But a girl can dream. Thank you for lunch guys.”

Taking a deep breath, Hermione gave Ginny a hug then turned to Harry with one of her I-wish-I-could-fix-the-world smiles. He pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear, “You can’t force him to grow up, Hermione, no one can do that but himself. And he’s just not ready yet.” 

She pulled back and her smile turned melancholy. “I know, Harry, I know.”

Hermione walked into the living room and disappeared into the Floo, deciding to make a stop at home first. She found herself needing a little bit of liquid courage—just a tiny bit. Once in her flat, she made a beeline for the Firewhiskey. Foregoing any kind of glass, she took a shot straight from the bottle.

Looking at the clock, she watched the second hand tick. It was a quarter until five when she moved through her flat to her bathroom. She had no idea why she was trying to make herself so presentable. It was just Ron, for Merlin’s sake. But she fixed her hair, regardless, and brushed her clothes off again. Once she dubbed herself presentable, she walked back into her living room, turned on her heel and Disapparated directly into Ron’s flat.

Hermione frowned, turning in the direction of Ron’s bedroom. She heard some muffled sounds coming from behind the closed door, something almost rhythmic. Her heart started to pound in her chest as she forced her feet to move in that direction. Her throat had gone dry, so she couldn’t speak.

When she stood in front of the panel, she could hear the noises more clearly and tears pricked her eyes. No, this couldn’t be, she thought. Her body started to shake as her arm reached forward, fingers wrapped around the knob, twisting it open and pushing the door wide.

For a moment, her eyes refused to absorb what they were seeing. But a flash of blonde hair being slung through the air caught her eye, and the low moan that left the plump, swollen lips of the eldest Greengrass sister ripped Hermione’s heart into pieces. Beneath her, Ron was bucking his hips, his hands sliding up Daphne’s ribs.

Daphne brought her hands up, fingers running through her hair, damp with sweat, twisting the locks up on top of her head and holding them there. “Oh, yes, Ron!” Hermione had tears streaming down her face now as she continued to watch in horror. It was like a bad trainwreck—she couldn’t take her eyes off it..

Ron made a move to sit up, his arms wrapping around Daphne’s torso, eyes closed and lips moving along the curve of her now-exposed neck. His voice was muted as he mumbled against her sweaty skin, but when he opened his eyes, he froze. His eyes had locked with Hermione’s and he shoved Daphne free of him. “Hermione! I—” Hermione held up her hand, turned her back on the duo, left the door wide open and walked away.

She could hear Ron scrambling from behind her, but she knew she wouldn’t stay long enough for him to catch up. She only allowed herself a few more moments to collect herself, wiping the tears away from her face before she turned on her heel once more and Disapparated to the first place that came to her mind, just as she had done when they had been forced to the night of Bill’s wedding.

Her mind brought her to The Leaky Cauldron, and once she was back on solid ground, the tears started up again. She doubled over, the pain in her chest so great it left her gasping for breath. For a couple of minutes, she let the grief consume her. Then she straightened up and walked into the pub.

The first thing she saw when she walked in was the tall, broad shouldered, platinum haired form of Draco Malfoy. He was surrounded by his friends, but she paid them no mind. She simply stalked up to Draco, grabbed the full tumbler of Firewhiskey from his hand and downed it in one gulp before slamming the empty glass down on the table.

“Whoa there, Granger! Might wanna slow it down a bit. That’s some potent stuff, that is.” Blaise was the first to chime in. The look she gave him must have been serious, because the smirk on his face fell immediately. The slight nod he gave in her direction would have been nice, had his eyes not been focused on Draco.

Suddenly her vision was filled with a serious grey gaze, a strand of fine blonde hair falling into his eye. “Granger, are you okay?” When she didn’t answer right away, he lifted his hand and brushed a stray tear away from her cheek. “Hermione?”

“I need another drink.” Draco gave a solitary nod, signaled for Tom, and held up his glass and two fingers. Hermione looked around then, noticing that Blaise and Theo had disappeared. “They had a prior engagement they needed to get to. They were just leaving when you showed up.”

Hermione didn’t buy the lie, but she was grateful for it. She was still on the precipice of falling apart and really didn’t fancy having any more witnesses than was necessary. When Tom arrived with her next drink, Hermione pulled another chug and slam. Tom just stared at her with wide eyes, blinking myopically at his favorite war heroine. “Any chance you could just bring the bottle, Tom?”

“Absolutely, Miss Granger.” The old barkeep disappeared, moments later returning with a sealed bottle. Draco waved the old wizard away when he tried to open the bottle. Draco easily opened the bottle, pouring Hermione another glass. 

“Hermione, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Hermione contemplated downing this third glass too, but her head was already beginning to buzz. Instead, she just sipped it, staring into the melting ice in the glass.

“I went to talk to Ron. About yesterday.” Hermione took a big gulp of her drink then, she could feel Draco’s eyes on her, staring her down intently. “And I caught him. In bed. Ha-having sex. Wi-with Daph-Daphne Gr-greengrass.” She downed the rest of the contents, the tears starting to fall again as she waited for Draco’s reaction.

XxX

Surely he had heard that wrong. Surely Hermione hadn’t just said that she’d found the Weasel in bed with another woman. With Daphne fucking Greengrass, of all people. His rage nearly blinded him. Hermione deserved to be treated better than this. She and the Weasel had only been dating for a month and the piece of shit couldn’t even keep it in his pants for that long? “You what? I’m going to fucking kill that Weasel.”

Hermione’s eyes snapped up to his, which had darkened in fury. “Why would it matter to you?”

Why would it matter to him? That was a good fucking question, but then again, why wouldn’t it matter? “Because no man should ever cheat on the woman he is with. Ever. Damn that fucking Weasel. I’m so sorry, Hermione.”

He unexpectedly pulled her in for a hug, his arms winding around her. He tucked his nose into her bushy hair, inhaling slowly. He felt her shudder in his arms and his heart broke for her right then and there.

When she pulled back, he reluctantly let her go and poured them both another round. She was nursing this one, but he could tell from her behavior that she was already well on her way to being piss drunk. When some music started playing in the background and she started to sway along, he knew for sure.

He had only seen the witch dance once, at the Yule Ball, and he had been mesmerized, even then. Though he’d have never admitted it. Now, he watched her for a few moments, her back facing him as she danced. But there was a moment, when she turned her head to look over her shoulder, when her eyes connected with his... 

For a moment, he was stone cold sober, and that was when he knew that he loved her.

He threw caution to the wind and went to join her, dancing behind her, his hands resting on her hips. She may not be making her best decisions right now. But he was going to be there for her tonight, whatever she needed.

When the song changed to a slower song, she turned in his arms, looping hers around his neck. They danced to the song, swaying along, their eyes locked. Without either of them knowing, their faces gravitated closer together. Draco had no clue who moved in first, but one moment, they were looking into each other’s eyes, and the next, their lips were locked. His arms tightened around her waist as he lifted her body to pull her closer to him. When she pulled back a fraction of an inch and whispered against his lips, he shivered. “Draco, get me out of here.”

He had enough alcohol in his system that he didn’t argue with her. He just simply kissed her again and led her from the pub to the courtyard in back. He looped her arm through his and Side-Along Apparated her to the Manor, directly into his bedroom. His lips found hers again immediately as he walked her backwards to his bed.

She awkwardly climbed on it while trying to maintain a connection to his lips. Draco’s hands cradled her face. He couldn’t explain the feelings he had pumping through his veins as he quickly maneuvered her onto her back. 

He was stopped by her yanking away, her hands clamping over her mouth.

She scrambled off of the bed and darted for the open door of the bathroom. Draco heard her wretch from the bedroom and followed her in, coming in just in time to pull her hair out of the way. With a groan, she released the contents of her stomach and he cringed. His free hand came up to rub her back in a circle.

When she came up for air, he got up and retrieved a damp cloth for her. “Thank you.” 

Draco nodded at her with a small smile. “You’re welcome, Hermione. You okay?” 

She nodded, wiping her mouth with the cloth. “Do you mind if I stay over? I really don’t want to go home.”

Draco’s heart jumped at the thought of Hermione in his home, in his bed, and forced himself to slow himself down. Tonight needed to be about Hermione, not him. “Of course you can, Hermione. Come on. Let’s get off this marble floor.” He stood and extended his hand towards her. She took what was proffered, helping her to her feet.

They went back into the bedroom and he settled her back onto his bed. Their passionate mood of before had been extinguished by the vomiting episode and he knew that they needed food to sober up. He needed to get her talking about what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers.

“Wilky.” Draco called as he shrugged free of his suit jacket, tossing it across an armchair in his room. He loosened his tie, pulling it free of his collar when the elf popped into his room. 

“Master Draco called Wilky?” 

Depositing the tie with the jacket, he smiled at the elf. “Yes, could you please prepare some tomato soup and toast?”

“Wilky will, Master Draco. Right away.” 

The elf disappeared with a pop and Draco turned to look at Hermione. She was staring at the spot where Wilky had stood. “She was wearing clothes,” she said in wonder. Draco chuckled as he moved to his closet, pulling out two sets of pajamas. He figured Hermione would want to be comfortable.

“Yes, my mother was quite eager to go along with the laws you set into place concerning house elves. She never truly agreed with house elf enslavement. Even if it is what they were born and bred to do. That was something my father was more of a stickler for that kind of thing.” He handed the pair of sweats and old Slytherin Seeker jersey to her.

She raised her brow at the green fabric. He shrugged with a laugh. “It’s the smallest shirt I have and I thought you might would like to be comfortable. But if you would like to wear a different shirt, I could find you one. If that one offends your dear Gryffindor sensibilities.” She laughed softly, but slid from the bed once again.

After she had disappeared into the bathroom, he quickly shed his own clothes, changing into his pajamas. Wilky appeared with the food and Draco thanked the elf, getting everything set up. When Hermione emerged, Draco drank in the sight of her, like he had been in the desert for weeks.

“The food is here.” He answered stupidly, gesturing to the set up. 

Hermione climbed back onto the bed with a smile. “It smells lovely. Thank you for thinking of it. I am actually kind of hungry after...well, you know.” Draco brought over her bowl and toast, setting it carefully on the bed.

“You’re welcome, Hermione. Now, spill,” he said, gathering his own food and moving to sit next to her on the bed. Hermione sighed heavily, digging into the soup. She was gathering her courage, he supposed. “There’s not much to spill, aside from this soup. But I suppose it was a mixture of the event from yesterday. That, and the fact that he wasn’t getting any sex from me.”

Draco had been spooning soup into his mouth while listening to her, but looked up in surprise at her last statement. “Why wasn’t he?” 

Realizing what he had said, he quickly apologized, but she shook her head. “No, it’s okay. We weren’t having sex, because I’m still a virgin.”

At that admission, Draco’s mind took a little vacation. He didn’t know where it went, but it took a little trip. When he returned, Hermione was twirling her spoon in her soup. She hadn’t elaborated on it any further, but Draco had already guessed. He had read somewhere about a woman’s virginity being seen as something special in the Muggle world.

It was becoming less of a cherished thing, something more easily thrown away, but there were clearly still some that held, in the highest regard, the thought of wanting to keep yourself pure for your partner until marriage. It was also something that was practiced in pureblood society, though not for the same reasons.

“I really respect you for your decision to keep yourself pure for your future husband. Any fool who can’t find it in himself to respect your wishes and wait for you is an idiot and deserves whatever comes his way.” 

Hermione looked up at him, surprise in her eyes. “How did you know that is what I was doing?”

Draco shrugged at her, “I have read up on some Muggle history. Some purebloods practice the same thing, though it’s not for the same reasons, and the men aren’t held to the same standard, sadly.” 

Hermione set aside her partially eaten bowl of soup and toast and then leaned in to kiss Draco on the lips again. “Thank you for everything, Draco.”

Her lips moved against his again, her fingers threading into his hair. It took everything in his willpower to pull away from her, resting his forehead against hers. His breathing was heavy as he opened his eyes to look at her. “I think you need to get some rest, Hermione.”

It hurt him deep inside to see the way she deflated when he said that and any thought he had of sleeping in a chair left his head immediately. He set aside his own food, sliding down in bed and opening his arms. Hermione followed his movements and curled her body up right against his. He folded his arms around her, tucking his nose in her hair. The combination of alcohol and the food settling in her stomach had her out like a light in a matter of minutes. But just before she drifted off into a deep sleep she mumbled, “Say you won’t let go.”

“I’m not going let go ever,” he whispered.

Her deep, even breathing against his neck. The scent of her hair in his nose. The feel of her heart beating against his. He had always thought that home was a physical place, but it wasn’t. Up until this moment, he hadn’t known. 

But while she slept blissfully on, tangled around Draco, he knew.

She was his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. I truly do. It was the turning point in the story finally and I am so glad that most of you have stuck it out this far. Please let me know what you thought in a review!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I completely spaced on my last chapter to add in that I wanted you guys to go and check out the song, Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur. That is the song that inspired the title and bit of the lyrics made their way into the last chapter. Now, as for this chapter...LEMON AHEAD!! I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!

Hermione was warm, really warm, as she roused from a deep sleep. Her mind was not fully online yet, but she was awake enough to realize that there was an arm wrapped around her waist. She could feel a broad chest at her back and a leg slid through hers. Her brain physically hurt, a byproduct of all the Firewhiskey last night.

With that thought, her eyes flew open. Oh Merlin! She was in Draco’s room, in his arms. Her first thought was to jump up and get away as fast as possible. Her second thought was that she was so very comfortable. The next thought that popped up in her head was that she was fully clothed and she wasn’t sore down south. So she deduced that nothing happened between the two of them last night.

That alone had her relaxing into the embrace of the man behind her, sighing in relief. She carefully rotated herself in Draco’s arms, sliding her legs back through his, hoping not to wake him. They would have to discuss this when they both woke up. But right now, she was happy to just study the man with his arms wrapped around her.

Her eyes traced his features, starting with the fine blonde hair draped across his forehead. He had long since stopped wearing it oiled and slicked back and the more natural look suited him. She lifted one of her hands to brush a strand free from his eyes. His skin was so smooth and clear. It was like it had never had a blemish.

His pale eyebrows were just a shade lighter than his hair and arched perfectly. His closed eyelids were so thin that you could see the tiny blue vessels beneath the skin. The eyelashes, so pale they were barely visible, were long and so curved they would make any girl jealous. His nose was perfectly straight, sloping down to a cute little point. Wait, did she just call his nose cute?

She shook her head slightly, closing her eyes, she was beginning to think she was losing her mind. With her eyes open once more, she went back to her inspection. Her eyes were now on his lips. They were the perfect shape, like a bow. She lifted her fingers again. Using her forefinger, she lightly traced his lips.

Draco stirred slightly in his sleep and she yanked her fingers back. She didn’t want him to wake up just yet. If she was honest with herself, she was enjoying this. She had never gotten the chance to truly study Draco up close and personal. Throughout their childhood they were always at each other's throats and after the war—well, she didn’t communicate with anyone really.

The longer she stayed awake, the more her memories of last night returned. Sure they had snogged at the pub as well as when they had first arrived here, but he hadn’t tried anything further than that. The idea alone that he respected her enough to not try anything with her was squeezing her heart. If she were to compare the Draco from Hogwarts and the one here with her now, she knew that the one from the past would have taken advantage of the situation.

With a shot of pain, her bladder made a protest to be emptied. Only a little reluctantly she made a move to get out of the bed to go to the loo. Those strong arms tightened around her waist, trying to pull her back into bed. “You’re not slipping out on me, are you?” the husky voice asked.

Hermione giggled quietly, placing a kiss on his cheek. “Just need to use the ladies room.” He rolled onto his back, stretching as he let her go. She shimmied free of the bed and slipped into the bathroom. After she relieved herself, she washed her hands and wished that she had a toothbrush. Her eyes landed on a bottle of mouthwash and she thanked whatever gods for looking out for her.

She opened the lid and poured some into her mouth without touching the rim. As she swished the liquid around in her mouth for a minute, she wondered why Draco would think she was leaving. She spit the mouthwash out into the sink and wiped her mouth on a hand towel. She smiled at the old Slytherin jersey she was wearing.

If she turned just right, she could catch Draco’s surname on the back of the jersey in the mirror. She would never admit it out loud, but it kind of turned her on to have his clothes on, his name on her back. Figuring she’d wasted enough time, she left the bathroom and went back out into the bedroom.

Draco was still lying on his back, his arm over his eyes. She wondered if he had fallen back asleep, so she walked over and crawled back into the bed, “Draco?” She moved to lay on her side, propping her head up on her hand. 

“Hmm?” he answered, his arm staying over his eyes.

“Thank you for last night.” At this he lifted his arm off of his eyes and looked at her, a note of seriousness she’d only seen there when they were passing the Domestic Abuse Decree showing in his eyes. “I meant every bit of what I said last night, Hermione. Weasley was a fool for not respecting your wishes and waiting for you.”

At this he reached out and stroked a finger along her cheek and Hermione couldn’t help but lean into his touch. It was then that she realized what she had felt in her office a month ago when she discovered that Elle and Draco had slept together. It had been jealousy, plain and simple. At that dawning realization, she felt a flush of embarrassment. She had been with Ron then and was jealous of Elle for being with Draco.

“I would never have dreamt of being unfaithful to someone as great as you, Hermione. He is a tool. And that blush is stunning on you.” His thumb slid across her heated cheek as he looked into her eyes. 

Hermione was never one to trip over her words, but she couldn’t help it now. “Wh-what are you t-trying to say, Draco?”

That trademark Malfoy smirk slid across his features before turning into the most brilliant smile she had ever seen. “How about giving me a chance?” Now that shut Hermione down completely. She was less than 24 hours single and here he was, a cocky, confident ass, asking her to give him a chance. She was sure she looked like a fish out of water, opening and closing her mouth over and over.

The smile disappeared from his face and Hermione felt terrible immediately. “It’s not that I don’t want to, Draco, truly. But I only just broke things off with Ron. And even then, it wasn’t really a break up. I mean, I did catch him cheating on me. But I, we haven’t talked about it and officially said things were over, and-” Draco put his finger over her lips.

“Hermione, I didn’t mean straight away. I know how you are. Just promise me, that when you are ready, that I’ll be your first choice?” It was so hard to deny that hopeful look in his eyes. She had never seen any guy look at her that way, much less Draco Malfoy. That was when it dawned on her—Draco had feelings for her.

It was there in the pleading look in his eyes, the way he held his breath and didn’t realize it in anticipation for her answer. But she knew it would only embarrass him for her to point it out. “I promise, Draco.”

He took her free hand and gave her knuckles a kiss, before returning to his previous position, covering his eyes back up. “If you’re hungry, let me know and I can call for Wilky.” Hermione remained in her spot, her eyes studying him once again. “I’m fine for now, thank you.”

XxX

Draco had covered his eyes when she had walked into the bathroom, simply because if he’d watched her move in his clothes, he’d have blown his load. His morning wood was already painful enough from his having been curled around her curvy body all night.

But the moment she climbed back in bed and thanked him again, he’d had to look at her. Of course, he could have cursed himself for the word vomit that had poured from his lips after reassuring her he’d meant what he’d said.

He was never one to show his vulnerabilities, ever. But he knew she could see it all right there on his face. Thank Merlin she knew him well enough not to call him out on it. Merlin help him, but he was deeply in love with this witch, and he hadn’t even had sex with her yet.

When she had promised he’d be the first she came to when she was ready to try dating again, his heart had soared. He couldn’t even express how stupid he thought Weasley was, but he was so glad that the idiot had fucked up.

If Hermione ever truly gave him the chance he longed for, he would make sure that he respected her wishes through and through. No matter how hard it may be for him, both literally and figuratively. He could feel her eyes on him now and nearly groaned. He couldn’t very well slip from the bed without her seeing what was going on below the waist.

The loose pajama bottoms didn’t exactly hide the massive erection either. The only upside was that his side of the bed was closest to the bathroom. With a fake yawn, he rolled to his side, facing the bathroom, and sat up. He stretched his arms over his head and looked back over his shoulder at Hermione.

“I’m going to take a quick shower. Wanna join?” He was only joking, but was rewarded with her blush, which is what he’d been going for. As Hermione shook her head, curls flying everywhere, he stood, his back to her. He was secretly grateful that she hadn’t gotten bold overnight and said yes.

When he was safely closed in the bathroom, he leaned against the door and sighed softly. “Damn Hermione, what are you doing to me?” he asked himself quietly. He quickly undressed and started the shower, the water pinging off the marble tiles. The noise loud enough that he didn’t hear the door click open behind him.

XxX

Once Hermione heard the sound of the shower come on, she couldn’t resist the urge to go and take a peek. She knew it was wrong of her to look in on Draco’s nakedness without permission. But hadn’t he kind of given her some when he’d asked her to join? She was going with yes, and besides, she wouldn’t let herself get caught.

Through the crack, her eyes found him, his pale body lean and muscular, which had her wondering if he still played Quidditch on the side. His shoulders had broadened since Hogwarts, the muscles in his shoulders moving as he stood at the sink, shaving his face. Her eyes followed the curve of his spine to his pert arse.

She had to bite her lip to stifle a giggle, she had never seen a man’s naked bum before. She could picture herself sinking her fingernails into that taut muscle. The thought alone had a tingling sensation setting off below her waist and she squeezed her thighs together. What in Merlin’s beard was wrong with her?

She shook her head and returned to her peeping Hermione act. Draco had finished shaving and was turning away from the mirror. Her eyes landed on his muscular chest, the scars from the curse Harry wrought upon him still clearly visible.

If she thought biting back a giggle had been near impossible moments ago, the moan she had to strangle down herself now was most definitely impossible. The only thing that saved her was the fact that Draco opened the shower door at the same time and the hinges let out a protesting groan.

The cause for the moan, she had caught sight of a very large, rather appealing erection. The thing—penis, prick, cock?—well, it was bigger than one of those muggle vibrator things her Muggle friends had. Hermione was blushing from head to toe, her body on fire.

While he was properly distracted in the shower, she returned the door to its previously closed position and returned to the bed. Why had she thought that was a good idea? Glancing back at the door, she sighed and slid Draco’s pajama bottoms and her knickers off, spreading her legs.

She felt so naughty right now. She didn't pleasure herself often, and she most definitely had never done it in someone else's room or presence before.

But she closed her eyes and took the plunge, literally. Her fingers slid along her slick folds, her bottom lip moving between her teeth as she tried to bite back another moan. In her mind she was picturing Draco as she had just seen him.

Her middle finger slid between her folds, falling right onto her swollen clit, the sensation making her hiss, her back arching free of the bed, toes curling and gripping at the sheets. It was so easy to picture Draco’s fingers in place of hers, that she could almost feel his weight against her.

“Oh Draco.” She whimpered into the air around her, her finger working her clit, not daring to go lower. She never dared to go to her entrance. Just the thought alone was too daunting for her. As her finger moved in faster circles around her clit, her moans became louder. She could no longer control the sounds coming from her mouth.

She also no longer had any control over her hearing, because the shower had long ago cut off. The door to the bathroom stood ajar and she was oblivious to Draco watching her as she had watched him. Oblivious to him stroking himself in time with her own ministrations. Oblivious to the fact that they both came at the same time, silently calling the other’s name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope that you enjoyed. Please let me know what you thought!
> 
> P.S.-Sorry for the short note, didn't sleep well last night and I am half asleep now. It's nap time. ;)
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, my loves, this update is a little late in the evening for my usual updates, but hey, I got it up! In this chapter, we have a little comic relief, I feel. As well as some pretty hot stuff. But there is also some heartbreak and some fluff. This chapter is chock full of feels. Or at least I think so.
> 
> I already had an author's note written up for this chapter, because I had a few things I wanted to let you guys in on. But I cracked the computer screen on my other laptop and I can't get to that doc, because I usually write my chapters on Google Docs and add the A/N on my word processor. Anywho, back to what I originally started this second paragraph for. There are a couple of songs that inspired part of this chapter and I wanted to tell y'all what they were so you could listen to them if you wanted. The first is Wiser by Madilyn Bailey. There are several versions out there but what really inspired me was the piano version on Kurt Hugo Schneider's page. The second song is also on the same page, but is a cover of the original which I liked much better, it is Cold Water by Major Lazer, covered by Citizen Four. I used some of the lyrics in the dialogue. Anyway, enough with this long and extremely winded note. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!

Draco went to turn away and close the door, wanting to give Hermione privacy to clean herself up and put herself to rights. He hadn’t meant to catch her pleasuring herself, but when he went into the bathroom, he’d forgotten to grab fresh clothes. So when he’d wrapped a towel securely around his waist, he’d opened the door to the most beautiful sight he’d ever beheld. He’d never pictured Hermione as a prude; he knew she had to relieve some tension somehow. Everyone had to or else they’d explode.

As he turned away, his toe caught on the edge of the door. He cursed as the pain raced up his leg and his balance tipped. He landed flat on his back, his torso in the bedroom, his hips and legs in the bathroom, body fully exposed. He could already feel himself turning red in embarrassment.

The commotion had caught Hermione’s attention and she squealed in surprise, jumping from the bed. With the pajamas and knickers still around her ankles, she lost her balance and fell to the floor as well. But she recovered quickly, yanking her knickers and pants back up to her hips, scrambling over to him. “Draco!”

Draco groaned on the floor, his arm moving to cover his eyes. He couldn’t bear to see the look on Granger’s face when she found him, lying in the buff, on his floor. He hoped to Merlin that she had been so lost in her own pleasure that she hadn’t noticed him jerking off to the sight.

“Draco, are you okay? Are you hurt?” He heard and felt her move from his head, into the bathroom. He felt a towel flutter down over his now flaccid cock. He took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, then releasing it. 

“I’m fine, Granger.” Resorting to his teasing manner of her last name. “My ego is a bit bruised, though. Along with my perfect arse. But other than that, I’ll be fine.”

She giggled, but smacked his bare chest. “Would you like me to kiss it?”

At that, he lifted his arm from his eyes to open one eye at her, “My arse? Absolutely.” She glared at him, but couldn’t stop herself from grinning. “I was not referring to your arse, Draco Malfoy. I was referring to your ego.” She made a move to smack his chest again, but he snagged her hand.

He knew, from his voyeuristic ways, that this was the hand she had used while sending herself into ecstasy. He couldn’t stop himself, even though he knew he could possibly be giving himself away with what he was about to do. He brought her fingers to his lips, kissing the pad of each finger, circling his tongue around each tip before moving onto the next.

It was a taste, sure. But not nearly enough of one, not by half. Hermione’s eyes went half-lidded as she sucked in a slow breath, her chest inflating slowly. He noticed, from the corner of his eye, the way she squeezed her thighs together and had to suppress a groan. He was in so much trouble. He could feel himself hardening again, but didn’t want her to feel pressured into anything. His lips trailed down to her palm as their eyes locked.

He was rewarded by the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, a moan from deep in her throat. Her voice was a hoarse whisper as she called out his name. “Draco.” She had leaned closer to him, her mouth slightly ajar to allow herself to breathe better.

They were both so incredibly turned on at this moment that neither of them could have made the right decision. His hand slid up to her wrist, fingers wrapping delicately around the slender column. Her free hand moved from the tile floor to rest on his chest, fingers splayed. Her hair cast a curtain around them, their breaths mingling as she leaned into him.

“What are you doing to me?” She whispered quietly. He lifted his free hand, caressing her cheek. A grin lifted his lips, because he had asked himself the very same question before taking his shower. The hand holding her wrist had slid up her arm, now holding her elbow, his thumb caressing the inside of the joint.

His own voice had dropped and gone gravelly, a sign of his own arousal. “Tell me what you’re feeling right now, Hermione. What is your body feeling? What is it telling you?” Hermione had now moved and was straddling him, her hips swaying in the air. If she had been a cat, her tail would have been swaying provocatively.

Her voice was a near purr when she answered him. “My heart is pounding against my chest, my breathing is heavy and erratic.” She paused, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as a blush started to bloom on her cheeks. “My skin is tingling. All over. And…”

Draco’s senses went on high alert as he licked his lips, waiting for her to continue. When she didn’t, he prompted her, “And? Tell me, Hermione…”

She blatantly bit down on her bottom lip, moaning as she tried to squeeze her thighs together again, but was blocked by his legs. She shuddered as she dipped her hips and brushed against the erection she was hovering over. Her voice was barely a whisper, so low that he had to strain to hear it, “I’m so wet, Draco. So turned on that I feel like I’m pulsing with need.”

Draco actually did groan this time, his eyes closing at Hermione’s admission. “Then the answer to your question, Hermione, is obvious. You’re finally learning what your body does when it’s truly attracted to someone.” He swallowed thickly as she remained there, hovering over him. So close, yet so far away.

Her eyes widened as the realization dawned on her and before he knew what was happening, she was kissing him, her hips dropping to rest on his. It took all the self control he had to not rip her clothes off of her and take her right there on the threshold of his bathroom floor.

But his arms did snap around her as he kissed her back, lips moving frantically against hers. When she began to grind herself against him, he had to physically lift her off of him and set her aside. Both of them were panting heavily, and Draco was looking at her hungrily. “Fuck, Hermione…”

She ducked her head, tucking her hair behind her ears, “I’m sorry, Draco. I-I don’t know what came over me. It won’t happen-” He put his finger on her lips, tilting her head up to look into her eyes.

“Don’t you dare say it won’t happen again. Or so help me Merlin, I will break every promise I have and plan on making to you in the future right now.” Draco almost growled at her. Hermione tilted her head and raised a brow at him.

“Promises? Like what?” She asked, clearly intrigued. He looked at her seriously, his hand coming up to caress the side of her cheek. “Like no matter how much we want each other, or how much we explore your sexuality, if that is what you wish to do, I will not, do you hear me, I will NOT let you give up your virginity before marriage. No matter how long this lasts. No matter how much we might both want it. No matter how much you might beg me for it. It’s just not something I would be okay with, taking that from you. Even if you told me it was okay.”

He kept his eyes locked on hers, so he didn’t miss the softening in her honey colored eyes, nor did he miss the tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes. Her smile was radiant as she leaned into his touch. “You keep this up, Draco Malfoy, and I may just fall in love with you.”

As his heart swelled, he almost let it slip from his tongue, but instead, it just echoed in his mind, “It’s too late for me, Hermione Granger. I’m already truly, madly and deeply in love with you.”

XxX

Hermione had stayed the rest of the weekend with Draco. After their bathroom floor incident, no more had been said about exploring her sexuality. They had instead spent the days talking and laughing, just generally getting to know each other. It had been so enchanting, that they hadn’t noticed the time passing.

When Sunday evening had rolled around, Hermione had been reluctant to leave. That would mean returning to the real world, to her problem with Ron. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that. She was still rather pissed at him and was quite sure that she wouldn’t behave rationally if she had to come face to face with him.

He was just the right kind of stupid, and she hated to refer to him as such, to try and confront her at work. She had thought about taking a few days off, just to avoid the inevitable, but changed her mind when she thought about the amount of work that was probably piled up on her desk.

So that was how she found herself sorting through the mound of paperwork that Daneel had brought in when she’d arrived. She had signed multiple documents for requests on new laws and smaller-scale Auror missions.

A knock on her door had her freezing, scared that the moment had come. But a glance through the frosted glass showed dark hair, instead of red and she let out a sigh of relief. “Come in.” She called out, relaxing back in her chair.

“Hey, Hermione. How’re you holding up?” Hermione gave him a weary smile and shrugged at him, “I’m here, buried in a mound of paperwork, wondering when Ron is going to burst in here and try to apologize and make amends.”

At that Harry chuckled, “Well, about that last part…” He trailed off looking thoroughly amused with himself. Hermione just looked at him, curious as to what had him looking so pleased. “Harry James Potter, what have you done?”

“Well, Ginny and I both agreed to keep him away from you. Letting you be the one to come to him. It serves him right for what he did to you. This morning, I warned him to stay away from you. Though we both know how thick his skull is. So, I may have put a repelling spell on your door, specifically set for him. As well as a silencing spell, so that it wouldn’t disturb you.” At this, he blushed just slightly, now embarrassed with himself.

“You should have seen the way he went flying, Hermione. He looked so shocked. Then of course, he looked pissed. Acted as if he wanted to try again. I stopped him, told him that I was the one that put the spell up in the first place. So he could turn his rage onto me. I told him again to stay away from you, until you came to him. Told him again, that he owes you that much. I’ll have to admit, Hermione, he wasn’t happy about that. You need to talk to him. Sooner, rather than later.”

Hermione sighed, nodding at Harry as she looked up at him. “I know, Harry. I’m just so...so pissed at him! How could he do that to me? I mean, I know, I know. We’d only been dating for a month. But he couldn’t even hold back on his...his manly desires!” Hermione gave a mirthless laugh and threw her hands in the air.

Even Harry laughed at her, “Manly desires? Hermione, come on, you’re the brightest witch of our age, you could have come up with better than that. Ron is worse than a horny toad.” 

Hermione didn’t mean to, but the tears came unbidden to her eyes. “I don’t care. He knew where I stood on the subject, Harry. He knew I wanted to wait. He said he could wait. But he lied. He lied and he slept with her. With Daphne Greengrass! And I caught them! If he knew he couldn’t wait, then why lead me on?”

She wrapped her arms around herself as she truly started to cry. She hadn’t allowed herself to grieve over what had happened. It was the reason she didn’t want to confront Ron yet either. Harry’s arms wrapped around her and squeezed. “Hermione, I truly hate what he did to you. He’s my best friend, but he’s an absolute tool and a prick. But we can’t change what he did or who he is. No matter if you talk to him today or a week from now, it won’t change the fact of what he did.

“Putting it off is only going to make you feel worse. Because I know you, and you are going to let it stew and fester. Just give me the word and I will tell him where you want to meet him. If you want to do it at Grimmauld Place, Ginny and I will be happy to be there for moral support. Because for this situation, we are on your side. He knows that he was wrong. He also knows that we are taking your side.”

Hermione sagged, her tears slowing as she let Harry comfort her “Harry, I don’t want you and Ginny taking sides, even though he was in the wrong. Tell him to meet me tonight, at my flat. Seven in the evening. And to arrive via muggle means.”

Harry gave her a kiss on her forehead and a pat on the back. “Whatever you want, Hermione. Just remember, the offer still stands and we’re on your side, whether you like it or not. We love you, Hermione.” She nodded, giving him one last squeeze.

She waited to reply when he was at the door, “I love you and Gin too, Harry. Remember to tell her that when you get home.” He nodded and left her to her paperwork again. The rest of the day passed uneventfully, or at least to her knowledge. What she didn’t know was that Ron had, in fact, tried several more times to make his way into her office.

Several hours later, she had arrived home, taken a relaxing bath, and tried to ready herself for Ron’s visit. However, her nerves were out of control, her palms were sweaty, her hands were shaking and she couldn’t sit still. And yet her first thought wasn’t that she wished she had taken Harry up on his offer. No, it was that she wished Draco were here.

She laughed softly as she pulled out the muggle cell phone she carried. It had surprised her to learn that Draco also had one as well. So, before she had left on Sunday, they had exchanged numbers. She called up his number now, pressing the send button. As she put the black brick up to her ear, she waited for his familiar drawl to echo in her ear.

“Hello, Hermione. To what do I owe this pleasure? Miss me already? I mean, it has hardly been less than a day.” His chuckle hung in the air as Hermione sat silently, chewing on her thumbnail. “Hermione?” When she still didn’t answer, his concern was evident in his voice. “Granger, what’s going on? Talk to me, mon amour.”

Hermione was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice what Draco had called her. “Draco, I’m freaking out. Ron is going to be here any minute now. And I’m not sure that I won’t hex him to bits, or the very least hex his bollocks off.” 

Draco chuckled on the other end of the line. “That wouldn’t be such a bad thing, would it, though? I mean, it would at least keep him faithful to his next woman.”

Hermione giggled in spite of herself. “Draco!” 

He laughed, a deep belly laugh that had Hermione’s heart beating double time. “What? It’s the truth! Just relax, Hermione. Everything will be fine. If you want, when everything’s said and done, just call and I’ll come right over. We can do whatever you want.”

The knock on her door had her jumping out her skin and turning to face the door. She whispered into the phone, “He’s here, Draco. I’m not ready for this.” 

She heard his tortured sigh, then his voice, “Hermione, you can do this. You are the strongest witch I know. Call me as soon as he’s gone and I’ll be there.”

As another knock sounded Hermione squeaked, “Promise?” 

“I promise, Hermione. And as I told you the other day, I won’t break my promises to you. Ever. Now go answer the door.” He hung up the phone and Hermione had no choice but to do as he’d told her. The promise of Draco coming as soon as Ron left gave her newfound courage as she marched to open her front door.

On the other side, Ron looked miserable. There were a few fresh bruises on his face, likely from his attempts to gain entry into her office. He opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand, shaking her head. “No, you do not get to speak first. Because I know what is going to come out of your mouth.”

His shoulders sagged as he released his breath. He nodded and stepped through the threshold. Hermione shut the door behind him and leaned against the panels. She watched him as he started to pace in front of her couch.

“When we started dating, I made it clear to you what I wanted when it came to sex. I told you that if you couldn’t handle that, to go your own way. I told you that, Ronald, because I knew I would not change my stance. I gave you an out from the beginning. You could have chosen to use it at any given time. Instead of doing that, you lied to my face, kissed my lips, held me. But at night, you were wrapped up in her, in Daphne.”

Hermione stopped talking, looking at Ron, her chest heaving as she breathed, waiting for his reaction. “It wasn’t like that, ‘Mione. It was just the one time. Well, technically twice, I swear.”

Hermione threw her hands up and screamed, “You know what else I really hate, Ronald? When you call me ‘Mione’! It’s part of the reason I call you Ronald so often. Because I know that you hate it as well. And I couldn’t care less if it was the first time you’d shagged her or the hundredth time! The fact of the matter stands, Ron, you sought your pleasure elsewhere when you couldn’t get it from me.

“That isn’t something you do when you are in a relationship. Now, I know I am not an expert on relationships, clearly. But I watched my p-parents,” Her voice cracked at the mention of her parents but she cleared her throat quickly. “And my grandparents. Cheating isn’t something you do to someone you see spending the rest of your life with, Ron. It just isn’t.”

He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I know that, Hermione and I am so sorry. But after you just dismissed me from Flourish and Blotts, like I was nothing more than a pet, I was so angry. I went to the Leaky, intending to go to Harry’s, but instead, I sat at the bar and started drinking.

“I just couldn’t stop throwing Firewhiskey down my throat. When Daphne sat down next to me, I was so pissed drunk, I couldn’t have even told you my name. When she suggested that we leave, I didn’t have enough brain cells to stop. Next thing I knew, we were at my flat, clothes were flying and we were shagging.”

He had stopped pacing and was staring at Hermione, the look he was giving her, pleading her to understand. She just closed her eyes and shook her head, “That I might could have forgiven, Ronald. Maybe, possibly, and remained friends. But when I showed up at your flat, it was the following evening and you had had plenty of time to sober up! And trust me, I saw it in your eyes, Ronald Weasley, you were clearly sober!

“So don’t you dare stand there and try to play this off like it was just the alcohol. I have heard your apology, I have heard your side of the story and that is what this meeting was for. I cannot accept your apology right now. Nor do I know if we will ever be friends again. What I do know is that I am barely holding onto my anger right now and that if you don’t leave my flat immediately, I will not be held responsible for what hex leaves my wand.”

Ron closed his eyes and looked as if he were in pain, but he nodded, and made his way to the door. He turned to look back at Hermione, the pain evident in his eyes this time, “I am truly sorry, Hermione. I never meant to hurt you.” With those parting words, he left and shut the door behind him. Hermione collapsed onto the floor where she stood, barely managing to pull the cell phone from her pocket and dialing Draco.

She couldn’t get any words out past her sobbing when he answered, but she didn’t need to. He knew who was calling him. He apparated straight into her flat and scooped her up into his arms. As he cradled her in his embrace, he kissed the top of her head and whispered into her hair, “Shh, mon amour, I’ve got you. I won’t let go. I’ll be your lifeline tonight. Just hold onto me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'll keep this one short. Please let me know what you think via review or comment. I love you all, you truly mean the world to me and I love getting your feedback.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello my loves, it's update day! I wanted to let you all know, again if you read Soul Bound as well, that updates may become less frequent. I am nearing the end of my pre-written chapters for this story. I am writing for a Spring Fest on one of the Facebook groups I am a part of and my focus is on it for the moment. It has a due date, so that is why I am focusing on it.
> 
> Now, as for this chapter, it is a little fluffy and a little steamy. So yes, there is some lemony goodness ahead. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!

An hour or so after Draco got to her flat and scooped her up, Hermione finally stopped crying. Her chest finally felt like it hadn’t been blown open. Draco had been whispering comforting words into her ear the entire time. He had finally moved them from the floor to the couch and just cradled her in his lap.

She had felt so comfortable in his arms the entire time, safe and loved. She hadn’t felt that since the last time she’d been with her parents on a trip. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, rolling her head around on her neck. The crying had given her a headache, her sinuses felt swollen and she couldn’t breathe properly through her nose.

“I’m sorry about all of that, Draco. It just hurt more than I thought it would.” 

He rubbed her back with a sad smile, “Hey, you have nothing to apologize for. You were betrayed, it’s supposed to hurt, Hermione. What excuse did he give?”

Hermione sighed heavily, leaning her head on Draco’s shoulder, resting her nose against his neck. “He got drunk at the Leaky after he left Flourish and Blotts, Daphne lured him away to his flat. They had sex while he was off his head. That, I could have dealt with. I could have accepted his apology straight away. Then I could have moved on and been pissed off at Daphne.

“But when I found him, it was the next evening. He was completely sober. There was no excuse for that. That is what I can’t easily forgive.” Draco nodded, brushing her hair back and placing a kiss to her temple.

“That is all perfectly understable, mon amour. I would have a hard time forgiving that myself.” Something stirred in Hermione’s mind and she lifted up, sniffling, blinking at Draco. “You called me ‘mon amour’. And this isn’t the first time.” She wasn’t proficient in French by any means, but she knew what that meant. She wasn’t mad at him; she found it endearing, actually.

She had to fight back a grin when Draco’s pale skin started to turn pink as he blushed, “I’m sorry. I—” He took advantage of her sitting up and leaned forward to bury his face in her neck, hiding behind her bushy hair. “Merlin, Hermione. This isn’t how I pictured doing this. I had thought of months, maybe years down the road. A nice dinner, some candlelight. A romantic setting, maybe Paris, with a view of the Eiffel Tower.”

He paused for a breath and Hermione held hers. She expected him to look up from his hiding spot, but he didn’t. This meant that whatever he had to say had to be big. When he released his breath, he did look up, his eyes locking onto hers. He found her hands, threading his fingers through hers and squeezing them tightly.

The look in his eyes was so vulnerable, she was already blinking back tears. “What I am about to say has the possibility to have you running and screaming from your own flat, Hermione. I hope to Merlin that doesn’t happen. But here goes nothing.”

He took another breath, closing his eyes for just a moment. “I love you, Hermione. Don’t ask me how or why. Hell, I don’t even know when. But I think it started sometime around third year when you broke my nose. No one—save my father, but he doesn’t count—had ever struck me. I think it was the fact that you had the bollocks to stand up to me, when no one else ever did, that made me fall for you.

“Then, the next year, when you came down those stairs for the Yule Ball in that blue dress, you took my fucking breath away. Crabbe and Goyle were oblivious to my staring, but Theo and Blaise took the mickey out of me for weeks. I didn’t think I was ever going to live that down. Then fifth year rolled around and you were wrapped up in stuff for the Order and helping Harry. My father was loping me into all that shit with the Dark Lord, but I watched you all year. I couldn’t keep my eyes off you.

“I’m even embarrassed to admit all the times I wanked off to images of you. But fuck, I was fifteen, I was horny all the damn time. And sixth year, the year everything went to shite. God damn, I would hear you and Potter, when you thought no one was around. I knew he had been following me. And all the while, you were taking up for me, saying I wasn’t all bad, that I had some good in me.

“Of course, little did you know, I had taken the Mark. Your faith in me is what had started to crumble my resolve. I had already doubted the Dark Lord’s mission. I hated my father for allowing that filth into our family home—not that it had ever been much of a home. And still, you had this hope for me, that I could still turn out good. I knew then that I was falling in love with you.

“When I brought the Death Eaters into the castle and attempted to kill Dumbledore, I felt like the lowest scum of the earth. I knew that I was so far beyond unworthy of you, that I would and could never deserve you. I knew that you would look at me differently when you found out that it was me. But I had to do it. He was going to kill my mother. I couldn’t let that happen. Lucius I couldn’t have cared less about.

“Then there was that fateful day when you, Harry and Weasley were brought into the Manor by those snatchers. I tried to save you the best way I could. I lied. I knew I had to pretend like I didn’t know who you were to avoid suspicion on my part as well as yours. You had done your best to disguise Harry. Then my crazy aunt began to torture you and I could barely hold myself back.

“I knew that if I had intervened, I would have been killed on the spot. Though, in retrospect, it would have been the least of what I could have done. To atone for what I had done in sixth year. But I had already had other plans that I had set into motion, plans that would lead to the event that saved Potter’s arse. As Bella tortured you, I could hardly breathe. My chest felt as if it had a weight sat on it. My heart was being cleaved in two.

“Then she carved that disgusting word on your arm and I had to leave. I went up to my room and vomited for an hour. In between rounds of puking, I called for one of the house elves most loyal to me and sent him to Dobby.

“Then that moment came in the war, my plans realized, and I tossed that wand to Potter. You, of course, know what happened after that. I spent my time changing the entire structure of Malfoy Enterprises, changing the structure of who I was as a person. I never forgot about you, I found ways to integrate myself into your life, just so that I could see you, talk to you. It fueled my need, my desire to make myself a better man for you, so that maybe I could one day be worthy for you. Then you wanted to take on the Domestic Abuse Decree with me and that was when I knew that I was in love with you. Fully and completely. But you were just starting off with Weasley. Old Draco would have interfered in a heartbeat, but not new Draco. So I waited, biding my time. I knew that he would likely screw up, I just didn’t know it would be on such a massive scale.

“So when you stormed into the Leaky and stole my drink, I was surprised. Then you kissed me, told me to get you out of there, and all my dreams and fantasies were coming true and playing out in my head. But when I found out the reason, I wanted to kill him for hurting you. For hurting someone as smart, beautiful and wonderful as you.

“But I couldn’t leave you, not like that. Right before you drifted off to sleep, you mumbled, ‘Say you won’t let go.’ And I was lost to you. Utterly and completely. I would do anything for you, drop anything to get to your side. I realized, in that moment, while I held you as you slept, that the home I had always been looking for wasn’t a physical place, like I had thought. It was a person, it was you. So, yeah, I love you, Hermione Granger, I love you. I have loved you for years.”

XxX

Draco had finally stopped talking. Once the words had started pouring from his lips, he couldn’t stop them. Now he was waiting for Hermione to react, to blink, to move, to say something, anything. There were silent tears streaming down her face and he lifted his hands to wipe them away with his thumbs. “Hermione, please say something.”

She was beginning to freak him out, actually. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything at all. He was just about to sit her on the couch and begin pacing when she lifted her own hands and cradled his face. “You have never, could never, and will never be scum in my eyes, Draco Malfoy. You were a victim of circumstances you could not control. You got yourself out of that awful situation on your own, in the midst of it all, well before it came to its head.

“You changed yourself into the man, the wizard you are today. You have made such great strides in our wizarding community here in Britain and I could not be more proud of you. I cannot begin to explain how humbled and amazed I am at the depth of your love for me. And while I am nowhere near that caliber in my feelings for you, Draco, I just want you to know that Harry and Ginny offered to be here for me tonight. But when it came down to it, the first person I wanted at my side was you. And to me, that speaks volumes. I might not be in love with you, but I am most definitely falling in love with you, Draco Malfoy.”

Was he breathing? Did he hear her right? Did she just say she was falling in love with him? Merlin, was he dreaming? “Granger? Hermione? Can you pinch me? Please?” She threw her head back and laughed, but obliged him nonetheless and pinched his arm. Yeah, it hurt, this was definitely real.

“Did you really just say what I think you just said?” 

She nodded at him, her thumbs moving in soothing circles on his cheeks. “I did, Draco. I also have something else to say, if you’d like to hear it.” He nodded enthusiastically and she laughed again as she leaned in to kiss his cheek.  
“I think that I am ready to give you your chance. I mean, after all of that? How could I not? But, if Ron can move on, even if he isn’t technically moving on, then why can’t I?” She gave a half smile, looking at him. 

Draco couldn’t believe his ears. His heart swelled in his chest as he leaned in to rest his forehead against hers, his voice barely a whisper. “Can I kiss you now?”

Hermione nodded, lifting her jaw and connecting their lips, her arms sliding around his neck as he moved his arms to wrap around her waist. The kiss quickly moved from slow and sweet to deep and passionate. His hands slid under the edge of her shirt, caressing her soft skin, feeling the smoothness beneath his fingers and it was all he could do not to shudder.

Miracle of miracles, she lifted her arms above her head, pulling back from the kiss to look him dead in the eyes. “I think I’d like to do some exploring now, too.” 

Draco closed his eyes and let out a low groan as his low-level arousal turned into a full-blown erection. He removed her shirt from her body and nearly had a coronary at her beauty. “Fuck, Hermione. You’re so beautiful. Are you positive?” She nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “Yes, Draco. I trust you.”

Those three words from her mouth were almost as good as an ‘I love you.’ That is what ultimately made up his mind, and so he stood. Catching a firm grip on Hermione, all the while finding her lips again. If they were going to explore, as she put it, they were damn well going to do it in a bed. He adjusted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Her flat only had one bedroom, so it wasn’t hard to find.

Once inside, he laid her out on the bed and looked down at her. She arched her body seductively off the bed, as if she had done it a million times and he almost came in his pants then and there. When she spread her legs, he couldn’t stop himself from licking his lips. He slid his shirt from his body and watched as she ran her eyes over his bare chest, a hungry look in her eyes.

He crawled onto the bed, straddling her legs, his fingers reaching forward to run along the bottom of her bra, tracing the lacy green fabric. “You know, I think green is a fantastic color on you.” He smirked as she blushed, but she followed it by another of those body rolls, her knee coming up to gently brush against his balls and he had to groan and grit his teeth.

His fingers found the front clasp, toying with it as his eyes locked on hers, the question visible. When she nodded, he popped the clasp free, his eyes fought to look down, but stayed on hers. “You are so beautiful, Hermione. Never forget that.” 

She smiled, another beautiful blush coloring her features as she nodded. “I always feel beautiful around you, Draco.”

After those words from her, his eyes drifted down and his breath left his lungs. She was beyond beautiful, she was perfect. His hands started at her stomach and ran up her sides, thumbs tracing her ribs as he went. When he got to the bottom of her breasts, he traced the curves before brushing his thumbs across the peaked nipples.

He was rewarded with a low moan and another arch of her back. Her mouth had formed a small ‘O’ of pleasure and he had to smirk. Just by her reactions alone, he knew that she had never been touched like this before. Not by someone else, anyway. He moved to lay beside her, propping himself up on his elbow as he leaned forward, pressing a line of kisses along the swell of her breast.

One of her hands threaded through his hair, but not to push him away. She pulled him closer, leading him to exactly where he was already headed. His lips met her hardened nipple in a chaste kiss and she arched into him, wanting more. His name left her lips on a moaned plea and the sound of it made his cock pulse. He blew a stream of warm air across her nipple before wrapping his lips around the peak.

She could have pulled out a chunk of his hair and he wouldn’t have noticed. He worked her nipple gently, murmuring against the swell. “Touch yourself for me, Hermione.” He watched from the corner of his eye as her free hand started to slide down her bare stomach. The shorts she had on were loose and she slid her hand under the waistband easily.

He groaned against her nipple, releasing it only to move across her body to give the other some attention. The hand she had in his hair loosened and fell away to grip the sheets as his teeth nibbled at her peak. Her hand came back up and began to push him away, and he hastily obliged. He didn’t want to overwhelm her.

But what she did next blew him away. She lifted her hips and shimmied free of her shorts and knickers, tossing them to the floor. Draco swayed as he caught his first full glimpse of the gorgeous witch next to him. “Bloody hell, Hermione. You are so...exquisite.” She looked over at him and found his hand, this almost evil smirk on her lips. It was so incredibly sexy. He let her have his hand and she placed it on her stomach and slowly trailed it downward.

His eyes slowly widened as he realized her intentions. He almost thought to stop her, but if this was what she wanted, he would let her. He would stop things before they went too far, however.

He leaned down and found her lips, kissing her deeply as his hand found the most glorious wet heat he’d ever felt. “Teach me. Show me how you like to be touched, mon amour,” he purred into her ear. Her hand covered his, fingers curling around to move his. His middle finger brushed along her clit and she moaned against his mouth. He swallowed the sound down as he quickly learned what she liked.

He took over from her, his fingers sliding through her slick folds easily. He teased her entrance, barely slipping his middle finger inside before retreating and circling her hard nub. She was getting close to her release; he could tell by the way she was bucking next to him. He pulled his torso back to watch her, his cock throbbing in his pants, straining to get to her.

He began to work her faster, watching as she squirmed next to him, her hands gripping the sheets, balling them in her fists. When her body tensed and she screamed his name, he ached to be between her legs to taste her. But he didn’t want to push her too far too soon. Instead, he worked her through her orgasm, gradually slowing his moves, bringing her down until she was a sated pile of limp muscles.

He pulled his fingers free and brought them to his lips, licking them clean as he locked eyes with her. Her cheeks were already flushed from her orgasm, but they darkened even more in a blush. Draco smirked, “You taste amazing, Hermione.” He leaned in and kissed her deeply, then collapsed on the bed next to her, closing his eyes.

He didn’t notice her watching him, didn’t notice her hand lifting and coming towards him. When her hand landed on his hard cock, his hips bucked and he groaned. She leaned in to nip and his ear, whispering seductively. “My turn to return the favor.”

She moved onto her knees and quickly drew the zipper down on his trousers. The button was next and he lifted his hips to help her pull his pants and boxers down. His erection popped free and she licked her lips as her eyes trailed every inch of him.

She tentatively wrapped her fingers around him and his hips arched from the bed again. He could feel her eyes on his face. She was studying him, learning him all on her own as she began to stroke her hand back and forth on his cock. Her thumb swiped over his glistening head, spreading the pearly drop of precum, using it to lubricate her movements. When her thumb brushed along the crest of his blunt head, he sucked in a deep groan.

“Fuck, Hermione. That’s it, mon amour.” He began to pump his hips. He had already been so turned on that he knew he wouldn’t last long, especially with it being Hermione at the helm. She added her other hand to his cock and was now pumping and twisting her hands at the same time.

He dropped his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes, his jaw clenching as he groaned. He could feel the blunt head of his cock beginning to go numb as his balls started to tingle. His hands fisted the sheets as hers had done earlier and every muscle in his body tensed as he grunted out her name, his cock twitching in her hands. His release left his slit, flowing over her hands and onto his abdomen, coating both of them.

He lifted his head to search for his wand to clean up the mess, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Hermione. He watched her as she copied his earlier actions and began to lick her hands clean. He almost came again, “Bloody hell, Granger, you’re going to fucking kill me. That’s so hot, you minx.” 

She licked her lips once her hand was clean and smiled wickedly. “It tastes good, kind of salty, but a little sweet.”

She found her wand and cleaned up the mess with a smile and a yawn before moving to curl up next to Draco, both completely unashamed by their nudity. He pulled her in close as she rested her head on his chest and smiled. He couldn’t believe his luck, honestly. Tonight had gone far better than he’d imagined. With a yawn himself, he closed his eyes and drifted off with his witch in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okie dokie! I really hope that you enjoyed! Please let me know what you thought in the review/comment section!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Merlin’s beard! I completely spaced yesterday, guys. I am so sorry about that. My schedule was completely blown off course. I was originally supposed to work one position, only to be asked to work another, then to be asked to work my original position and switch the second position to today. Confusing right? Then I went and got my nails done and gorged myself to bursting on Texas Roadhouse rolls. So...here is chapter 12 of Say You Won’t Let Go! We get a little bit of some Hermione/Ginny girl bonding time. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plotline.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

A few days had passed since Hermione had confronted Ron—since Draco had confessed that he had loved her for years and they’d made love. Well, sort of. They hadn’t had intercourse, but it had been the most magical thing she had ever experienced. To trust someone so completely that you could bare your body and soul to them. And she did trust Draco, implicitly.

She couldn’t explain how she had come to trust him so completely, or when. But she knew, by his actions and his words, that she could trust him. And Merlin, did she have a lot to tell Ginny, which was where she was heading now. It was Thursday and Ginny didn’t have practice, so Hermione had taken the day off to spend with her.

She had just finished applying her makeup when she heard her Floo roar. “Hermione?” Ginny called and she couldn’t help but smile. 

“In my room!” She rose from her vanity and began to dress, unembarrassed by her nakedness around her best friend. Hermione had her arms above her head, pulling her tank off, when Ginny entered.

“Hermione Jean Granger! Is that trail of love bites on your chest?” Shite. She’d forgotten about that. Her blush started at her chest and trailed up. There was no use yanking her shirt back on. The damage had been done and she was going to tell Ginny anyway. 

“Well, yes Ginny, they are.” Hermione gave her a smirk worthy to rival a Malfoy.

“You better tell me everything. Right now!” Ginny all but glared her down, hands on her hips and red hair flaming. 

Hermione threw her head back and laughed. “Go and make us some breakfast while I dress. Then I’ll dish. I was planning on telling you today anyway.” Ginny mumbled something under her breath but left her alone.

A few minutes later, Hermione entered her kitchen to find enough food to feed an army and shook her head. “You do realize it’s just the two of us, right?” 

Ginny just glared at her. “You know I cook more when I’m frazzled. And you’ve been keeping me in the dark!”

Hermione sat down on a stool at the island and smiled at Ginny. “It’s not that I’ve been keeping you in the dark, Gin. It’s just really new, exciting and kind of nerve-wracking. To be honest, it’s probably going to surprise the shite out of you, too. But you have to swear that you will not tell Harry about any of this. Or I will hex you.”

Ginny fixed two plates, sliding one in front of Hermione, then poured them both some juice. “I promise, Hermione. Spill!” 

Hermione started to spread the jam on her toast, buying herself a little bit of time as her blush returned. “I’ve been sortofseeingDracoMalfoy.”

There was a clatter as Ginny dropped the fork she had been holding. Hermione looked up in alarm, loud noises still startled her, only to find Ginny gaping at her. “You what?!” Though she seemed surprised by the admission, there was something else simmering in her eyes.

“I’ve sort of been seeing Draco Malfoy. I mean, we haven’t really gone on a date or anything and we only really decided to start dating Monday night-”

“Hold on, Monday night? The night you and Ron talked about his stupidity?” Ginny asked, her breakfast forgotten. She had braced her arms on the island, leaning into them, her hazel eyes intent on Hermione. She wasn’t mad, by any means. Hermione had seen her mad plenty of times.

Hermione nodded, “Yes. The same night.”

Her eyes narrowed, “Before or after?”

“After.” Hermione answered, laying her half eaten toast back on the plate and taking a sip of her juice. When she set the glass down, she took a deep breath and looked up at her best friend. “The evening I found Ron, I told you and Harry that I just came home. I didn’t. I just Apparated. I didn’t know where I was going really, but I ended up at The Leaky Cauldron. When I walked in, Draco was there with his friends.

“They were drinking. I wasn’t thinking straight. I was too angry. I stalked straight over, grabbed Draco’s drink and downed it. Then Tom brought over another and I did the same. Three drinks in, Draco’s friends had disappeared and I had a bottle at my disposal. Next thing I knew, I was kissing him. I didn’t know where my tongue ended and his began, to be honest. I told him to get me out of the pub.

“He Apparated us straight into his bedroom at the Manor. We were all over each other for a moment, but then the alcohol and the side-along apparition got to me and I had to dart to the bathroom and upchuck. He came in and held my hair back, got me a wet cloth, and had his elf prepare us some soup and sandwiches. He was so sweet, Ginny. So very different from the arrogant, spoiled boy we knew in school.

“He asked me about why I was in such a state when I came in. I told him everything, more than I probably would have had I been sober. Even that I am a virgin. We kissed some more, and he asked me to give him a chance when I was ready to date again. I agreed and we fell asleep. That was some of the best sleep that I have gotten in a long time, Gin. I felt so safe. I didn’t have any nightmares, I was so warm.

“Then the next day we talked all day long, just got to know each other a little better. We talked about what had been happening in our lives after the war. I almost didn’t want to leave. I felt so close to him, like I do with you and Harry. Something changed between us over the weekend, Ginny. When Harry offered for me to meet with Ron here and I turned it down, I truly wanted to do it alone.

“But when the time came closer for Ron to arrive, I did want someone by my side. I wanted Draco. I even called him on my mobile phone; he has one as well. He told me that I could do it and that if I needed him after it was over to call him. Gin, I was a mess, a sobbing mess. I couldn’t even form words when I called him after Ron left.

“But he apparated right over and just held me while I cried.” Hermione paused, closing her eyes as her smile appeared on her face, the next part playing over in her mind. She would remember that for the rest of her life, that was for sure. She had actually taken a copy of the memory from her brain and stored it for her pensieve.

“Then, once I regained my composure, we were talking and he called me mon amour. He’d actually called me that a couple of times earlier in the night, but I was just too distraught to realize it at the time. So I called him out on it and Ginny, oh Merlin.” Hermione’s eyes started to moisten as the tears formed. “He told me he loved me, that he’s loved me for years. I could see it in his eyes. He’s always been so easy to read. Especially his eyes, he was so vulnerable.”

Ginny had remained silent this entire time, watching Hermione with this odd expression on her face. “I knew it.” 

Hermione frowned, tilting her head. “Knew what?” 

“The night of my wedding, when Malfoy showed up and left so quickly, he left just after he saw you and Ron head off. He practically darted away, stumbling as he went. It was because he loves you! I knew it, I always thought he had some feelings for you, but he couldn’t act on them because of how his father would have reacted.”

“Are you serious?” Hermione’s eyes widened as Ginny nodded. Ginny had always been really good at reading people, due to being from such a large family. “Yes, Hermione. This is all well and good, but you know he’s notorious for being a very sexually active man. Who’s to say he won’t go the way of Ron?”

Hermione nodded. She had been expecting this question from her friend. “Because, while we were talking that first night, he told me that, if I ever gave him a chance, that he wouldn’t pressure me. He would let me take things at my pace. That if I ever wanted to explore my body and my sexuality with him, then we would. But he would leave me a virgin no matter how badly we wanted to continue. You know me, Ginny, you know I can tell when someone is lying to me. I just didn’t see it with Ron because I wanted so badly for things to work.”

Ginny nodded and started to finally eat her breakfast, smiling at Hermione. “Hermione, I know you’re a good judge of character, minus the Ron disaster, but we both know how immature my brother is. But, as you said, you wanted it to work, so you blinded yourself to it, we all did to be honest. With Draco, though, I can see how it would be beneficial for the both of you. You’re both so extremely smart. He could push you to be a better person every day, be smarter, go after what you want and be cutthroat about it if you need to be.”

Hermione pondered that, putting a bite of egg into her mouth, then giggled quietly as she remembered the rest of her evening with Draco. Ginny raised her brow, mouth full of food. Hermione cleared her throat and looked at Ginny, trying not to blush and failing miserably. “Ginny, how could you not tell me that having a guy give you an orgasm was so amazing?”

Ginny, who had been taking a drink of juice spewed her drink everywhere, narrowly missing Hermione with it. She sputtered, wiping her mouth with a napkin as Hermione cleared the mess with her wand. “I thought you were still a virgin!” 

Hermione laughed hard before she answered, “I still am. He just used his fingers, but never inside, just on my clit. But, oh my God, Ginny. Most mind-blowing orgasm of my life.”

Ginny just shook her head and was even blushing a little herself. “You really do trust him, don’t you?” 

Hermione nodded, looking down at her plate before her, pushing the eggs around. “I do, Gin. I actually think I may be falling in love with him, just a little.”

Her best friend looked at her with a wide-eyed expression, “Hermione, are you serious?” 

Hermione nodded at her, an unsure expression on her face. She wasn’t particularly unsure of her feelings, just unsure about how she felt about feeling out of control. “Yes, I’m completely serious.” From somewhere in her bedroom, her phone started to ring. She jumped up, running to answer it.

Her face lit up when she saw the name on the screen. “Hello.” 

His voice flowed through the phone and brought goose pimples up on her arms. “Hello, mon amour. How is your day going?” She walked back into the kitchen, stupid grin plastered on her face. Ginny just shook her head with her own grin. “It’s going well, just visiting with Ginny at the moment. What can I do for you, mon chéri?”

His low chuckle rumbled over the phone and she longed to hear it under her ear as her head rested on his chest, “I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tonight? I thought it would be nice for us to go on our first real date. But if you already have plans, I understand and would wait until it was convenient for you.”

Hermione turned with wide eyes to look at Ginny, mouthing at her, “He’s asking me out to dinner, tonight!” 

Ginny nodded enthusiastically, mouthing back, “Say yes!” 

“Tonight is perfect. I would love to go and have dinner with you.” She heard a sigh of relief through the line and smiled—he had been nervous.

“I’ll pick you up promptly at 7 then, Hermione. I cannot wait to see your beautiful eyes, your beautiful face, just you. I’ve missed you. I won’t keep you, I just wanted you to know that.”

Hermione blushed at his words and walked back into her room, pushing the door to behind her. “I miss you, Draco. I miss being in your arms, talking to you, I just miss you.” She felt like a sap, but it was the truth.

She could almost feel his smile through the phone, “I know, mon amour. I know. I sleep so much better when you’re in my arms, the nightmares are held at bay. Really, I don’t want to keep you from spending time with your friend. Have fun with her. I love you, Hermione. I’ll see you soon.”

“My nightmares are nonexistent when I’m in your arms too, Draco. I miss you, I adore you, I’ll see you soon.” As she ended the call and placed her phone on the nightstand, she sat down on her bed for a moment and just smiled into the empty room.

She had no idea how long she had sat there, but Ginny came in some time later and laughed at the grin still on her face. “Well don’t you just look smitten. Get up. We’re going shopping. You need a manicure, pedicure, get your hair done, your makeup and an outfit for tonight. My treat.” 

Hermione laughed, shaking her head, she knew better than to argue. She rose from her bed and went to find shoes. “Whatever you say, Mrs. Potter.” Moments later, the girls apparated to Diagon Alley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: In reply to one of my reviews, which most of you know, I normally reply to by PM, on FFnet, or by comment on AO3.  
> Kawaiirachel: Yes, Hermione wants to remain a virgin until marriage. Which she will remain a virgin to actual sexual intercourse. But they will play and explore each other’s bodies. It is all on her terms, Draco is letting her choose, whereas Ron would try and start things on his own.
> 
> Playwright82: You hit it spot on. He was so close, anything would have worked. Plus, Hermione is a good student and doesn't need much instruction, but he will instruct her later on.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello my dears! To make up for my blunder on updating a day late this weekend, I am updating a day early. It's date night! This is one of my longest chapters to date and I am so excited! I have one more chapter fully written, but I am working on the next as we speak. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> On another note, a new chapter of Soul Bound, for those of you that read it, is with my beta, Frogster. It should be up in the next few days. I am sorry for the delays. As I've said before, I am focusing on a writing fest piece.
> 
> Leave me some love!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!

Ginny pulled her into Twilfitt and Tattings, practically dragging her as Hermione struggled to keep up. “Ginny, slow down. We have plenty of time.” Ginny laughed and rolled her eyes, “Hermione, please. Time means nothing when it comes to finding the perfect dress for tonight. We want to knock Draco on his arse. Make it hard for him to resist touching you.”

Hermione blushed at that as they headed for the back of the shop, where the cocktail dresses were. An associate was soon swooping down on them, creating a flurry of excitement. Hermione’s arms were soon loaded down with many dresses and she was shoved into a dressing room.

She hung the dresses up, looking at them, considering which one to try on first. This wasn’t the first time she had been in cocktail dresses. She had attended multiple Ministry functions that had called for such a dress code. But since this was the first time she would be wearing one for a date, her nerves made their appearance, butterflies dancing in her stomach.

She undressed, folding her clothes and laying them on the bench provided. She pulled the first dress, a white slinky one, from the hanger and slid it onto her body. She gave herself a look in the mirrors in the tiny cubicle and wrinkled her nose. She wasn’t so sure about this one, but she left the room anyway.

When she returned to the main floor, Ginny made the same face she had. “No, that’s not it. Next one.” Hermione laughed and returned back to the dressing room, sliding the dress from her body and returning it to its hanger. The next dress was a yellow beaded number with a zipper running the length of the front.

Once on her body, it fit well and looked good, but she didn’t think that it was ‘The One’. She made her way to the main floor once more, her bare feet sinking into the plush rug. Ginny’s brow furrowed when Hermione came into view. She held her arm up and spun her finger around, “Turn around.”

The redhead tilted her head as she considered the option of this dress, chewing on the corner of her lip. “We’re getting warmer, but that’s still not it. Shoo!” Ginny made a shooing motion, and Hermione left once again.

After Hermione had made a few more trips back and forth between the changing room, no dress lived up to Ginny’s vision. Hermione was down to the last dress—it was beautiful. As she put it on, she noticed that the bodice was lace, and mostly see-through. There was a built-in bra, allowing for modesty. The skirt on the dress was short—really short—and feathery. Hermione recalled the associate mentioning that they were hippogriff feathers. They were beautiful and black, but when the light hit them, they turned blue and green.

As she made the trek to the main floor once again, she knew this was the dress. Ginny was browsing the racks again, so Hermione cleared her throat. Ginny turned around, her mouth dropped and she just nodded. Slowly the shock was replaced with a smirk, “Oh, that’s definitely it. That is smoking hot.”

After Hermione had shed the dress, Ginny went on the hunt for some shoes. There was a pair of dragonhide heels that went perfectly and she snatched them up. Once again, she practically dragged Hermione to the counter, where the items were rung up and paid for by Hermione.

“Come on, on to the salon now. We need you waxed, fluffed, buffed and stuffed.” Ginny said while laughing. Hermione gave her a curious look. “Stuffed?”

“I'm kidding, Hermione, relax.” Ginny said as she pulled her into the salon. She ordered the woman behind the little desk to take Hermione and give her a complete makeover. The woman's eyes widened when she turned to look at Hermione, realizing who was in the shop.

As the woman flurried away in excitement, Hermione knew what was to follow. The whole salon would be in a state of undertoned excitement soon as well. After all, the war heroine was in the building.

The woman returned and led Hermione to a little room in the back, where another woman was waiting for them. “Hello, Miss Granger. I am Freya. I'll be taking care of you today. Please, have a seat.” Freya smiled and gestured to the chair before her. Ginny took a seat in the corner, placing the dress on a hook and the shoes on the floor.

Hermione took the seat she was offered, the chair as comfortable as it looked. “Now, what can I do for you today?” Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Ginny beat her to it.

“She's got a hot date tonight. This is her dress. She needs makeup, hair, nails, the whole lot.”

Hermione glared at her best friend, “I can speak for myself, you know. But yes, Freya, what she said. Though, I do not want any color on my hair. Just a wash and style will be fine.”

Freya nodded, a smile playing across her fuschia lips. “Very well, Miss Granger. Geri, go and get Carmen and Yvonne and tell them to come do her nails and toes while I work on her hair and makeup.”

Geri left the room and Freya winked down at Hermione. “That girl, she has always wanted to meet you. Being the war heroine and all. But after what you and Mr. Malfoy accomplished with the Domestic Abuse Decree, it saved her life, it did. Though if the staring bothers you, I'll send her away.”

Hermione’s eyes teared up as she listened to Freya and when Geri came back in, she looked at the girl properly for the first time. Her nose wasn't aligned properly, as if it had been broken and hadn't been healed properly, by magic or otherwise.

Hermione didn't say a thing, for she didn't want to embarrass the girl. When she left again on another of Freya’s orders, Hermione spoke, “She can stay as long as she'd like. I am glad to see that her life was made better by the Decree. That is what Draco and I wanted.”

Freya nodded and lowered the back of the chair, resting Hermione's head against the sink, and dropping her hair into the basin. “Her father was actually the one beating her. He was beating both her and her mother. The mother got them out with the use of the Decree and she came to work here. She's such a sweet girl.”

The talking ceased as Hermione closed her eyes and relaxed into the calming feeling of having someone else wash your hair. It was really one of her favorite things. Once she was done, Freya sat her back up and began trimming her hair. 

Carmen and Yvonne appeared and began tending to her nails and toes. Hermione made small talk with Ginny while she could, until Freya silenced her to work on her makeup. When she was done, she stepped back, admiring her work.

“Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Your date will be left speechless. Especially once you put on that dress.”

Hermione smiled at the woman, “Thank you, Freya. What do I owe you?” When she didn't hear an answer, she looked up. There were tears in the witch’s eyes. “You owe me nothing. For without you, my daughter would have been dead at my husband’s hand, as would I have been.” Freya’s eyes trailed to Geri with a sad smile and Hermione suddenly understood.

As her eyes threatened to fill with tears, she bit them back, not wanting to ruin the beautiful job Freya had just done. “Thank you, Freya. I am glad that you and Geri are safe now. If there is ever anything I can do for you, you can always owl me at the Ministry. Anytime.” She hugged the woman, smiling at her as she pulled back. “You go knock whatever young man it is on his arse, Miss Granger.”

Hermione blushed and Freya winked at her, leading her to the doors. “He won't be able to deny you anything. Have fun and come back soon.” Hermione and Ginny were ushered out onto the streets of Diagon Alley once again. Ginny checked the time on her wand and grinned. “Just enough time for you to get home and dress. Go! Then you better tell me all about it!”

Ginny handed over the dress and shoes with a wide grin and made a shooing motion. Hermione moved to an Apparition point and Disapparated home. As she made her way to her bedroom, Crookshanks was winding his way carefully between her legs.

“Hello, boy. I'll feed you in a moment, let me hang this dress up.” After she hung the dress on the door, she set the shoes down and went to feed him. Once she was done, she washed her hands and returned to stare at the dress. Her nerves were beginning to creep up on her, causing her palms to sweat. She shouldn't be so nervous. It was only Draco.

XxX

“Mate, you're going to wear a hole in the floor with all that pacing.” Blaise was lounging across Draco’s bed as Draco paced the space in front of his bed. “Bugger off, Zabini.”

Blaise just laughed and rolled onto his back, “What has you so nervous? She's already agreed to the date. It's an hour before and she hasn't called to back out yet. You're in the clear. Because if I know Granger-”

“You don't know Grang--Hermione.” Draco told him, correcting himself. He could feel Blaise roll his eyes. “Not as well as some, but I know how anal she is about some things. And if she were backing out, she would have let you know hours ago.”

Draco could see the logic behind his best friend’s words, though he couldn't make his brain accept it. Blaise rose from the bed and moved to Draco’s closet. “Come on, mate. Time to get dressed. Let's see, hmmm...We’ll go with this beautiful Italian suit here.” He pulled the suit in question from the closet and laid it on the bed, careful not to wrinkle it.

He gave Draco a devilish wink before turning to the drawers, pulling open the one that held his dress shirts. “Now, let's see. Should we go with white or black? Where are you taking her again?” He looked over his shoulder at Draco and Draco narrowed his eyes and muttered, “La Petite Fleur.”

Blaise nodded as if that told him everything and pulled out a black dress shirt. He opened another drawer and pulled out one of the ties Draco rarely wore. A red tie..

“Oh, fuck no. I am not wearing a red tie, Blaise. I am not giving Gryffindor’s princess that satisfaction. No way.” Blaise glared at him. “You're going to wear this fucking tie if I have to charm it on you so you can't bloody take it off.”

If Draco knew anything about Blaise, it was that when he made a threat like this, he meant it. So Draco was definitely wearing the red tie.

Draco took the garments from Blaise and flipped him off in the process, shutting himself in the bathroom. He had never been on a proper date before, not like this. Not when he felt so strongly for the girl. Not when he loved the woman.

As he dressed, he couldn't help but smile and wonder what Hermione would be wearing. As he lifted his hands to knot his tie, he realized his hands were shaking, he cursed himself and forced his hands to steady. When he was finished, he quickly ran a hand through his hair, getting it to lay just right and looked at himself in the mirror.

He had to admit, the red tie did look great on him. It brought out his eyes and made them seem a little more blue. When he stepped free of the bathroom, Blaise whistled low. “Looking dapper, mate. Better head out. It's getting that time and you don't want to be late.”

Draco rolled his eyes at his friend. “You'd better be gone when I get back. If I come back that is.” 

Blaise grinned at him as he headed for the Floo. “Hey, I got my own hot date to get to. Though, mine is more likely to put out.”

Before Draco could hex the bastard, he was gone in a swirl of green flame. “Arse.” He muttered as he Disapparated from the Manor to Hermione’s neighborhood. He stepped free of the alley and walked to her building, taking the steps two at a time.

When he got to her door, he hesitated before knocking. He straightened his jacket, tugged at his sleeves and tightened his tie. His saliva had seemed to thicken in his throat and he swallowed it down, closing his eyes as he raised his hand.

His knuckles connected to the wood and the knock echoed through the flat on the other side of the panels. He heard the sound of high heels clicking on the hardwood floors, making their way to the door, and he took a step back, wanting to take in the full effect of whatever she was wearing.

His eyes were on the crack between the door and the floor, so the shoes were what he saw first. He'd never been the type of man to be turned on by shoes before, but it seemed it had to be the right kind of shoe.

They were closed-toe shoes, but that didn't seem to matter, and as his eyes traveled up, all he saw were legs. Lean, muscular legs that seemed to go on for miles. Just shy of her middle thigh, the feathers started. Not ridiculous looking feathers. These were exotic and sexy, just dusting her tanned legs.

He felt as if his mouth were hanging open, he was sure that it was, but he couldn't close it. When his eyes moved past the skirt, he saw lace. Lace and skin. His heart started racing into overtime. His breathing became heavier.

The bodice seemed to go on, all lacy and see-through, the only exception being at her breasts, where a bra was sown into the dress. “Hermione...you look…”

XxX

Hermione stood there, looking at Draco, waiting for him to continue his sentence. She was looking him up and down as well. He was so handsome, dressed in all black, except for his red tie, which actually matched the flower on the chest of her dress.

“Stunning. Absolutely stunning.” He stepped forward and leaned down for a kiss. Thanks to the heels, he didn't have to lean down as far and she met his lips easily. “You don't look so bad yourself, handsome. You look damn good.”

He smirked at her and gave her a wink, “Why thank you, mon amour. Shall we? We do have a reservation to keep.” Hermione grinned at him and took his proffered arm.

He led them back outside, to the alleyway he had used, and Apparated them to their destination. When Hermione adjusted to being back on solid ground, her eyes widened. “La Petit Fleur. How did you get reservations here? They've been booked since they opened.”

Draco smirked at her, “I have my ways. A Malfoy never reveals his secrets.” He held open the door, his hand resting on her lower back, as he let her walk in first.

“Oh Draco, this place is beautiful.”

She could feel his eyes on her, knew what was coming, but couldn't help but blush anyway, “Not as beautiful as you are.” 

She lightly slapped his chest with a smile as they approached the maitre d’. “Mister Malfoy. It is so nice to see you. We have your table ready and waiting. Follow me, please.”

Draco placed his hand back on Hermione’s back, leading her after the woman. He leaned in to whisper, causing her to shiver. “You smell edible. What is that?”

At the proximity, Hermione’s body warmed, heat pooling between her thighs as she leaned into him. “It's my little secret.” They had reached their table, a booth and Draco gestured for Hermione to take a seat on one side.

He stood, waiting for her to scoot in. Once she was all the way over, she smiled, waiting for him to join her. When he did, she moved in close, her hand laying to rest on his thigh as he lifted the menu for them both to look at.

While they scanned, Draco turned to kiss the top of Hermione’s head, “How was your day with the female Potter?” 

Hermione giggled. “Her name is Ginny, you know. It was great. I told her about us.”

Draco was browsing the wine list and raised his brow, “And what did she have to say about that?”

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the server. “Mister Malfoy, it's great to see you. Miss Granger, you look stunning. My name is Cole and I'll be your server for the evening. What may I get you to drink?”

Hermione smiled at the wizard, “I'll have a water for now, thank you.” Draco nodded with a grin, his eyes on Hermione. “I'll have the same, thank you, Cole. We'll order wine when we've decided on our meal.”

Cole nodded and moved away to go and get the drinks. Hermione picked up where she was interrupted, “She actually didn't seem all that surprised, to be honest. Actually, she said that she ‘knew it.’ When I asked her what she knew, she said that she knew you'd always had some kind of feelings for me. Anyway, then you called and she dragged me shopping for all of this.”

Hermione gestured to herself, blushing slightly. She watched as Draco smirked and leaned into whisper again, his lips moving against her ear, “Remind me to thank her later.”

Hermione bit her lip to keep from moaning in the middle of the restaurant, her eyes closing as Draco’s lips moved down the column of her neck. Her fingers dug into his thigh. “Draco…” she sighed, breathless.

He pulled away just as Cole reappeared with the glasses of water. “Have you decided on your meal or would you like some more time?”

“More time please, Cole, thank you.” Hermione answered, giving him an awkward smile. Her eyes returning to the menu Draco was still holding. Cole disappeared again and Draco chuckled.

Hermione turned to glare at him, “No distracting me until we've decided on our food.” His grin wouldn't go away but he nodded, his eyes returning to the menu.

“Do you see anything you like? I think I'm going to go with the cassoulet.” He looked over at Hermione as she studied the menu, she could feel him staring at her, as if learning her.

“I believe I will go with the coq au vin. It sounds pretty good.” Hermione leaned into Draco with a smile, his arm coming to rest on her shoulder.

“That does sound excellent. Let me see if I can wave Cole back over.” Draco looked around the restaurant, spotting Cole and gesturing him over. Hermione was studying his profile while he watched their server.

“I can feel you staring, Hermione.” She grinned as he turned his head, and she leaned up to catch his lips, taking him by surprise as she kissed him.

“I was just admiring the view, is all.”

“Have you made your decision?” Cole had returned and they both turned their attention to him, Draco reciting their orders as well as an order for wine.

When they were alone again, Draco turned to her with a smile. “Anything you want to know?”

Hermione tilted her head while she ran through some things she might want to ask. But the one that had been plaguing her mind was a rather sensitive subject. She dropped her chin, her hair swinging to hide her face as she carefully unrolled the linen napkin to place in her lap. “There was one thing I was a little curious about. But it’s rather personal.”

Draco’s finger appeared under her chin and lifted it up, her eyes meeting his. “There is no subject off limits to you, Hermione. I know you trust me and I want that trust to remain. Never feel ashamed or hold back on anything you want to ask me. Okay?”

Hermione swallowed as she looked into his eyes. There wasn’t an ounce of deception in them and she nodded. “Okay, Draco.” He ran his thumb over her lips and she kissed the pad of the digit. She took a deep breath, averting her eyes. She couldn’t look him in the eye and ask him. That was too close, too vulnerable.

“Monday night was, by far, one of the best nights of my life. You made me feel...there truly are no words for it. Out of this world. While we both know that I am inexperienced, we both also know that you are not.” Hermione paused as Cole returned, carrying their wine, a fellow server bearing their food.

Once their plates were set in front of them, Hermione dug in, trying to form the rest of what she was going to say, but Draco stopped her with a kind smile, “I think I know where you are going with this. You guessed right after our meeting that day with Elle that she and I had slept together. But I have only slept with one other woman and I’m pretty certain you can guess who that is.” He started to eat his food, completely at ease as Hermione soaked in this new information from him.

She knew who he was referring to, was almost certain. “Pansy.” 

When he nodded, she knew she had been right, though it truly did surprise her that he had only slept with two women. “Surprised?” He asked, only after swallowing and wiping his mouth. The difference between his table manners and Ron’s was so stark that she nodded, not meaning to.

His nod in return had his shoulders sagging as well and she jumped to reassure him, “It’s not that I’m surprised by the fact that you’ve only slept with two women. It’s just that people like to talk. And to hear them, you’re a notorious playboy that sleeps with any witch who throws herself at you. Not that I believe everything that people say. And I actually didn’t mean to nod, I was just so taken aback at the difference in table manners between yourself and Ron.”

Hermione blushed at the admission, and Draco chuckled. “Well, I’m sure I had a much more refined raising that the Weasel did. Though his sister did seem to turn out okay. I am well aware of what people say behind my back, Hermione. I have dealt with it my entire life and I have learned to just let it roll off of my back.”

Draco looked over at Hermione with a grin, “Besides, if I slept with half of the witches they say I did, I’d be riddled with diseases and I’d really rather not end up with dragon pox or something.”

Hermione couldn’t help but giggle, covering her mouth as she was trying to chew and not spit her food everywhere. “Draco! Is there anything about me that you want to know?” They had already explored multiple facets of their lives on the night she had found Ron.

“I plan on having the rest of my life to get to know every tiny little detail about you, Hermione Granger.” He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “So I am in no rush, mon amour.” He finished his meal and pushed the dish away, leaning back to watch Hermione.

She finished her meal shortly after, full to the brim. She leaned into Draco with a sigh. “That was so good. I don’t think I could fit another bite.” He raised his brow at her, “Not even dessert?” She shook her head. “No, not even dessert.”

He chuckled and flagged down Cole once more, asking for the check. “It’s okay, I have dessert waiting for us back at the manor.” She narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion, he was looking just a little too happy for dessert. “Oh no, Miss I-must-know-all, I am not telling you. It is a surprise.”

He handed a card over to Cole and when he left, Hermione leaned up and kissed along his jaw. Draco tilted his head, a low groan vibrating against her lips as she moved down the column of his neck. His hand was running up and down her arm gently, sending goosebumps up and down her flesh. Hermione sat up as Cole returned and Draco signed the receipt with a flourish.

He slid from the booth, holding his hand out for hers and she took it, needing the extra help to stand from the low bench. “Let’s get you out of here, beautiful. That dessert is waiting for us.” He winked at her as he lead her to the door and outside. The temperature had dropped considerably and she shivered when a breeze blew through the lace.

Draco let go of her to shrug out of his suit jacket. “Here, slide this on.” He held it out for her and she slid her arms into the sleeves. The expertly tailored jacket fit him perfectly, but it dwarfed her. She turned her nose into the collar and inhaled, the scent of Draco travelling into her lungs. He offered his arm again and she took it. In a whirl and the matter of a moment, they were in the drive of the Manor, the scene before them beautiful when bathed in the light of the full moon.

He stopped and turned to face Hermione, smiling down at her. “I just wanted to say how glad I am that you agreed to go on a date with me tonight. You look so beautiful. Right now, you look downright ethereal and I feel as if I am the luckiest wizard alive on this planet. I love you, Hermione Granger, so very much.” His hands cupped her face, cradling her as if she was the most precious thing in the world, in his world, and kissed her as if there were no tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really hoped you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you thought! I love you all!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy Easter everyone! Sorry this is a day late again, but it's been a busy weekend. I won't clog up the A/N this week. Just let me know what you think! Love all of my readers!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

Hermione woke to an empty bed, looking around Draco’s spacious room with a frown. She heard no movement from the bathroom, so she knew she was alone. She slid from the bed, clad in only her knickers, memories of last night swirling in her mind. As she moved to his closet, she smiled at the memory of Draco being so sincere and sweet.

In the back of the closet, she spotted a tattered old shirt, in Slytherin green. Curious, she walked further in and inspected it. “Surely not,” she mumbled to herself as she pulled the worn fabric from the hanger. But it was, it was his old Seeker jersey from Hogwarts. She knew it would be much too small for him now. But it was so soft that she just couldn’t resist slipping it on.

The shirt fit her snugly around her breasts and hugged her curves. With a smirk worthy of Malfoy himself, she left the closet and closed the doors. She made her way back to the bed and arranged herself on the mattress. Her disappointment at waking up alone was long gone. He would be back, after all, she was in his bedroom.

Not ten minutes later, he returned, a pair of running shorts hanging from his frame, a sweaty t-shirt slung over his shoulder. His delectable torso was on full display, sweat following the dips in his muscles. He was using a towel to scrub his head, no doubt trying to wick away some of the sweat that was there.

When he closed the bedroom door behind him and finally glanced at Hermione, he stopped in his tracks. His jaw dropped open and his eyes didn’t blink as he took in the scene before him. Hermione couldn’t help but giggle at the reaction. “See something you like?”

He nodded in a mechanical manner, his jaw still dangling in the air. He finally regained enough brain cells to form a sentence, “Where did you find that?”

“In your closet, in the back. I woke up alone, and all I had was my dress from last night. I didn’t feel like putting that back on. So I went in search of something and found this old thing.” She smirked at him, her eyes trailing down his body, settling on the erection tenting the loose fabric of the shorts he was wearing. “I take it you like seeing me in it?”

He nodded again mutely, tossing the shirt and towel in the floor as he stalked over to the bed. There was a look of hunger in his eyes as he made his way over. “Seeing you in that jersey, my name on your back, is sexy as fuck and has me hard as stone right now. And it seems that I must apologize for you waking alone.”

Hermione started to nibble on her bottom lip as she watched him. He had reached the end of the bed and was climbing on. Her legs spread of their own accord and she heard a low growl of approval coming from him. She had learned quickly that she enjoyed the way he made her feel when he would touch her with his hands.

Last night, they had tried something new for her. When he said he had dessert waiting, he hadn’t been kidding. He had strawberries, whipped cream and melted chocolate waiting. She had been his buffet. He had drizzled the chocolate all over her body, dipping the strawberries into it, or licking it off with his tongue.

The whipped cream had been an interesting experience as well, circled around her nipples. He painted a line down her middle and his tongue dipped into her belly button before trailing even further down to her slit. If she had thought his fingers on her had been magic, his mouth on her had been heaven.

As his mouth found her again, through her knickers now, her back arched from the bed and she moaned his name. Her fingers speared into his damp hair and held on as he pulled back to pull her knickers to the side. Now it was lips on lips and her concentration was slipping by the second. Her legs fell to the side as his tongue circled around her throbbing clit, a low moan moving up her throat. “Oh, for the love of Merlin.”

She lifted her head to look down at what Draco was doing and met his grey eyes, their color so much darker with his arousal. She stroked her nails against his scalp. Their eyes connected as his tongue moved lower and dipped into her entrance. She could no longer keep eye contact as she closed her eyes and dropped her head back.

With her eyes closed, she could imagine what it would feel like to have his cock inside of her, filling her up. She moaned with the longing for that feeling. It was getting increasingly more difficult to stick to her decision about her virginity the more she was with Draco. A sweep of his tongue and her thoughts were pulled away from her again as her body exploded into an orgasm.

As she came down from the release, her body covered in a sheen of sweat, the Quidditch jersey sticking to her skin, she couldn’t help but grin. Draco moved to lay beside her with a smirk on his face. “Was my apology sufficient enough?”

Hermione turned her head with a satisfied smile and nodded, “More than sufficient.” Her hand snuck across the small space between them, landing on his hard cock. She felt his hips buck under her hand and her smile turned into a smirk. “In fact, I think it was a little too much of an apology and I need to even out the playing field.”

She adjusted her body, leaning in to kiss Draco, tasting herself on his lips, moaning at the taste. She slid her hand into the shorts, smirking against his lips when she found that he only had on the shorts. Her fingers wrapped around his length and slowly began stroking up and down, a plan already forming in her mind. If he could use his mouth on her, why couldn’t she?

XxX

Draco was never going to tire of having Hermione’s hands on him, and he hoped to Merlin, Salazar, whoever was listening, that he would get to keep experiencing this feeling for the rest of his life. Hermione moved and began tugging at the shorts on his hips. He lifted his arse off the mattress to allow her to slide the fabric down and smirked when her eyes landed hungrily on his cock.

He relaxed back into the mattress, his eyes hooded and watching his witch as she pleasured him. Her hands moving up and down his shaft, thumb sweeping over his swollen head. It had him closing his eyes and groaning. That was when she took him by surprise. He had felt her move on the mattress, but then his cock was engulfed by a warm, wet heat and he had to jerk his head up to look.

“Oh fuck, Hermione…” His voice was hardly more than a breath as his hand slid into her hair. He couldn’t believe that she had her mouth on him. He had never mentioned it to her, not wanting to push her, but it seemed she had taken the leap herself. And for her first time, she was pretty damn good at it. Another groan left his lips as she pulled back, running the tip of her tongue around his swollen tip.

She looked up at him questioningly, and he nodded at her in encouragement, running his thumb along her cheek. “You’re doing great. Fuck, that feels so good.” His head fell back again as she dropped her jaw and took his entire cock into her mouth, the head hitting the back of her throat, causing her to gag.

“Close your lips and suck on the way back up.” He instructed her in a husky voice, and Merlin’s beard did she take instruction well. The action nearly had him orgasming right then in her mouth and he wasn’t sure if she would be ready for that. Using his grip on her head, he pulled her free and smiled down at her. “You know what happens when I orgasm. You keep going like that and I’m going to come in your mouth.”

That devilish little minx just smirked at him and ducked her head back down, taking his cock back into her mouth. His hands fell from her hair and into the sheets, gripping them in his fists as he let her work him over. Within a matter of moments, she had him panting, sweat starting to form on his skin as he felt his release drawing near. “Hermione! Fuck!” he called out as his orgasm hit and his seed started pumping into her throat.

Draco watched as she swallowed every last drop and leaned back to lick her lips with that smirk still in place. “That was as much fun as I thought it was going to be.” She moved to lay next to Draco, curling right up against him with a soft, satisfied sigh. “I’m finding it harder to resist, Draco.”

He lifted his head to look down at the curly haired witch, a questioning look on his face, “To resist what, Hermione?”

She looked up at him with a smile, lifting herself to give him a kiss. “You. Sex. Everything. You make me feel so alive, Draco. When we’re together, I feel so alive and free. And I’m not just talking sexually either. We can just be having a simple conversation and I know that I can talk about anything with you. I know that you’ll understand every topic I bring up and you will have your own counterpoint to any argument I make.

“But I am also finding it harder to resist you sexually. Last night,” her voice took on a dreamy quality when she remembered last night and Draco smirked. “I kept imagining what it would feel like to have you inside me and not just your tongue or your fingers.” He could see her blush forming on her face.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, mon amour. It’s only natural as we get more involved with one another. To desire to have a deeper connection with the person that you love. And that is one of the deepest connections we can have.”

Hermione propped her chin up on his chest and smiled at him, “And I think do love you, Draco. I'm not completely sure yet. You know how I overanalyze things. But I'm close.”

He could feel his heart falter and then start to beat double time, as a smile cracked his face in half. “You do? I can’t tell you how much it means to hear you say that.” His hand came up to brush her hair back as he leaned down for a kiss. “I love you, Hermione.”

XxX

A week later, Hermione was at work, sitting in her office with the door open. The chatter from outside was actually calming her, instead of annoying her as it usually did. In fact, most things that usually annoyed her only served to make her day brighter. She supposed it had to do with her new relationship with Draco.

The knock on her door had her looking up with a smile. “Hello, Daneel. What can I do for you?”

Her assistant smiled back at her, a wide grin lifting her full lips. “You have a delivery, Hermione.” Hermione tilted her head at the grin of her assistant and the mention of a delivery.

“Well, send it in, then.” Hermione returned to her paperwork, when the smell of her favorite flower invaded her nose. Her head jerked up to find a large flower arrangement of dahlias, the colors varying from red to gold to several that were multi-colored. A gasp left her lips as she rose from her desk and ran over to take the vase.

“These are so beautiful. I wonder who sent them.” She turned back to her desk, to set the vase down, looking for the card when a deep chuckle had her whirling around.

Draco stood in the door, hands still in the position as if holding the vase still. “I thought I’d pay my girl a visit and bring her some of her favorite flowers.”

Hermione all but launched herself at him, wild hair flying as she landed in his arms. His arms wound around her, and he buried his nose in her hair with a smile. He was beginning to get used to the wild mane and loved the smell. “I thought that maybe we could go out for lunch, if you had free time to spare.”

“Lunch sounds wonderful, Draco. Just let me put away these files and I’ll be ready.” She lifted herself up on her toes and placed a kiss on his lips before moving away and picking up her wand. With a quick wave, the mess on her desk organized and filed itself away.

Draco held his arm out and Hermione slid her arm through his with a bright smile up at him. He led them away with a smile. Hermione was so focused on Draco’s profile that she didn’t see Ronald glaring at the two of them from his desk, his hand tightening around his wand.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay my loves, this is the last of my biweekly updates. I know, it saddens me too. And I promise, when I get through with this fest, it will be back to the grindstone for both this and Soul Bound. This is a little bit of a heavier chapter. I won't linger here, so here ya go.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

Draco was at his desk in his office, his mind consumed with Hermione. Christmas was coming up soon and he was trying to think of the perfect thing to get her as a gift. They hadn’t been properly dating for her birthday, so she wouldn’t hear of him doting on her for that event. But he’d still managed to give her a few special treats.

He was tapping one of the Muggle pens she had gotten him on the parchment in front of him when the security alarm for one of the houses started to alarm. He looked up at the panel on the wall next to his desk. It was that blasted house in Dublin again. They were going to have to relocate that house, he just knew it.

His eyelids fell shut as he summoned his happiest memory, which now consisted of many different versions of Hermione, and conjured his Patronus. The ferret left his office and made its way to the Auror department of the Ministry as he stood and pulled on his cloak. He called on his own security team, telling them to apparate immediately to the Dublin house.

When he arrived on the scene, it was something straight out of his nightmares. A drunk, disorderly, abusive wizard was seeking his wife and infant daughter. Unfortunately, Draco, his team and the Aurors were already too late. A couple of members of the  onsite security team were laid out on the ground, unseeing eyes staring into the cloudy noon sky.

The wizard was currently duelling another of the security staff and winning when Draco stepped in to help. The crazed man shot a stinging hex at Draco, and he narrowly escaped it. “Not only are my security team and I here, the Aurors are on their way. As you have already murdered two people, your chances of going to Azkaban are high. Surrender now.”

The man before him laughed maniacally, “Not until you give me my wife and kid. They belong with me.” He shot another hex at Draco and he deflected it easily.

“Malfoy! Let us handle this!” Weasley had just Apparated onto the scene, a snarl on his face. The drunken man whirled around, his attention flying to the red-haired auror. As if realizing his time was up, he started to fight anew.

Weasley threw up a blocking spell just in time, fear in his eyes as he realized just how close he’d come to getting a blast in the face. His fellow Aurors started to join the attack as Draco rounded the assailant from behind.

The deranged man was an expert at duelling, even in his inebriated state, and Draco was quite shocked at how well he defended himself from all sides. The Weasel dropped his shield spell and began his own attack, holding his own against the man. The fellow Aurors were confident enough in their leader that they began to disperse and get the witnesses to safety.

“Go!” Draco shouted at his security team, gesturing for them to help the Aurors. The fewer moving targets for this man, the better. Draco continued to fire spells at him from behind while Weasley assaulted him with hexes from the front.

Draco deflected a Stupefy sent his way and stumbled back with the force of it. But that moment of unsteadiness nearly cost him and Weasley both. For a moment, the Auror hesitated, seeing Draco stumble, and a jet of green light shot straight from the drunken wizard’s wand for Ronald Weasley’s chest.

With cat-like reflexes, Draco cast a Knockback Jinx, hitting Weasley in record time and knocking him flat on his arse, the killing curse flying over his head. Quickly, Draco turned and pointed his wand at the man. “Accio wand!”

His wand flew from his hand into Draco’s. Draco quickly called out, “Incarcerous!” Black ropes flew out of the tip of his wand, winding around the man and tying him up, causing him to fall over and hit the ground. Draco sagged into the filthy ground, rainwater and street filth soaking into his clothing. A sigh left his throat as he let his head fall against the cobblestoned street and he closed his eyes.

He heard the man starting to squirm, so he opened his eyes and pointed his wand back at the man, muttering “Petrificus totalus.” The man stiffened like a board, with only his chest heaving and his eyes moving back and forth.

“You saved me…” The tone of disbelief from across the way had Draco turning his head toward the voice.

“Of course I did.” Draco said quietly, his grey eyes tired and half closed. The duel had taken quite a bit out of him. It had been awhile since he’d duelled to that extent. He turned his head up, looking into the sky, the sun making a quick appearance.

“But why?” The confusion was clear and Draco sat up, running his hand through his hair. 

“Because, Weasley, I’m not just going to let someone die. It isn’t right. No one deserves to die by the hand of a madman. Not only that, but Hermione would never forgive me if I let you die.”

Draco turned his head to look at the ginger to see the wizard’s mouth gaping in shock. It took him a moment to recover. “She could care less what happened to me. If I died she probably wouldn’t even come to my funeral.”

“Don’t you dare discredit her feelings for you, Weasley. She may be upset with you right now, but you were still one of her best friends and her first crush, maybe even her first love. You broke her heart. She has a right to be hurt right now. You didn’t see her after the night you both talked about what happened. She was ruined. But she would never wish for someone to die. You know her well enough to know that.”

The redhead snapped his mouth shut, his ears turning red from embarrassment. The topic couldn’t be discussed any longer because the other members of his team started trickling back in, having secured the area. Draco’s team moved over to their fallen comrades and started to cover them to give them their dignity in death.

The Aurors moved over to start cleaning up the damage the wizard had left behind, Weasley standing to take over the man. “I’m going to take him to the Ministry. You guys know what to do. Draco, since the fallen are members of your security team, I will let you deal with them. We know how they died, so there is no need for the Ministry to take the bodies. They deserve to be returned to their families as soon as possible.”

Draco gave a nod to Weasley, moving to stand with his team, his head bowed as he looked down upon the covered remains of the two witches. He knew that he would be closing this safe house and even now, he knew he needed to go inside and tell the chancellor to start the evacuation process. Once he was back in his office, he would contact Elle again and see if she had any houses with openings in America available. He would present that option to the inhabitants, if that is what they wished, and he would fund it.

XxX

Hermione was buried in her paperwork, her hair frizzing more by the minute, but she signed off on the last bit and shoved it out of the way. She had just taken a deep breath when a new missive came zooming in, landing on her desk and sending everything else scattering. She opened the parchment, her eyes scanning it, and she shook her head, sighing softly.

Another attack on the Dublin house. Draco was right, they were going to have to close down that house. She was just about to get started on the incident report when her office door banged open and a harried Ron stood on the other side.

She blinked up at him, “Ron, what in Merlin’s name is wrong?”

“He saved me,” he said, his chest heaving, his face and neck red. Hermione didn’t know whether it was from anger or embarrassment. But she assumed she would find out soon. “Who saved you, Ronald?”

“MALFOY! I would have died if it wasn’t for him.” He wasn’t calming down in the slightest; he seemed as if he couldn’t believe it himself. Hermione frowned at him, confused herself. “What do you mean? How could he save you? Were you at the Dublin house?”

Ron nodded, coming into her office fully and collapsing into the chair in front of her desk. “Yes, my team was the only free team when his Patronus came in. I got a right laugh when I saw that it was a ferret, mind you. When we got there, he and his team were duelling the guy, who had already killed two of the onsite team. My guys went to secure the scene and he sent his off to do the same while we doubled up on the crazy man.

“I’ve never seen a drunk man duel as well as this one. Malfoy was behind him, firing hexes, jinxes and spells, while I was attacking from the front. Malfoy narrowly missed the Stupefy the guy sent his way, but it knocked him on his arse. That caused me to pause and the man took advantage, firing a killing curse at me.” At this, Hermione gasped, her hands moving to cover her mouth.

Ron nodded and continued, “But Malfoy acted fast and hit me with a Knockback and the Avada flew right over my head. Then he got the man’s wand, tied him up and hit him with the petrifying charm.” Hermione shook her head in amazement, her heart was pounding in her chest and she was aching with the need to go and check on Draco.

“I am so very glad that the both of you are okay, Ronald.” Hermione looked at her former flame, truth in her eyes, and he sighed softly, gazing back at her.

“He was right,” he said quietly.

Hermione tilted her head, looking at him, “Right about what?”

“You do still care about me and wouldn’t want me to die.” Ron smiled awkwardly, seeming to sink into himself and the chair. Her frown deepened when she looked down at her hands, examining the polish on her nails.

“I would never wish anyone to die, Ronald. You of all people should know that. You hurt me, yes, but I don’t wish you dead. You are not that terrible a person.” She looked up to see him nodding, a pained smile lifting his lips.

“He said that, too. I guess he knows you better than I ever did.”

A sigh filled the room as Hermione scrubbed her forehead with her hand, “Ronald, I really don’t want to get into this again.” 

He held up his hands in surrender, his blue eyes meeting hers. “No, I know, ‘Mione. I fucked up, big time. I never deserved you, I know that now. I also know that we never would have worked in the long run. We are too different, you and I both know that.”

Hermione closed her eyes and nodded, “You are right, we would have both ended up hating each other if we kept pursuing a relationship and that isn’t what I would want. I want to maintain a friendship with you, Ron. We’ve come too far, been through too much to give that up now. But if you’ll excuse me, I do believe I’m going to take the rest of the day off and I need to go and let Harry know.”

Ron jumped up from his seat, nodding vigorously. “Of course. I know you probably want to go and check on Mal-Draco.” He said that as if it pained him, and she could see why. But she could tell that Ron was beginning to see Draco in a new light, but he couldn’t change years of animosity in a matter of hours. “When you see him, would you please tell him thank you, from me?”

She smiled softly, but shook her head, “No, Ronald, I won’t. That is something that you need to do for yourself. He saved your life, not mine.” He nodded, but said no more and left her office. She left behind him, locking her door behind her.

Once outside Harry’s office, she lifted her hand to knock, and that was when she realized she was shaking. She brought her fist down on her best friends door, when a muffled acknowledgement met her, she opened the door. Harry’s green eyes swung up to greet her and before she knew what was happening, he was around his desk to catch her.

Her knees had given out, but Harry had caught her before she could hit the ground. He maneuvered them over to the couch in his office and sat down, pulling her into his side, his hand rubbing her arm. “What’s going on, Hermione?”

She closed her eyes and felt a terrible shudder run through her body. She sank into Harry with a sigh, “Ron nearly lost his life today and I’m pretty sure Draco could have too.” By now they all knew that she and Draco were dating. Ginny hadn’t been able to keep her mouth shut for long. She had had to boast to Ron that Hermione had moved on to someone better. And Harry, Auror that he was, had figured it out without even having to ask, or Ginny having to say anything.

“What do you mean? They didn’t have a go, did they?” Harry asked, concern lacing his tone. Hermione shook her head and began recounting the tale Ron had just finished telling her. At the end, Harry remained quiet, no doubt analyzing every action that had taken place.

“Do you reckon Ron will be more accepting of Draco now?” he asked quietly.

Hermione nodded. “He made a physical effort to call him Draco and I could see it in his demeanor that he saw Draco differently. I think he truly believed, until now, that the old Draco still existed, that he would have just let him die.”

Harry nodded, kissing the top of Hermione’s head. “Well, maybe he will believe us all now and maybe you can patch things up between the two of you.”

“Yeah, and what about between the three of you?” She asked him. Ron, Harry and Ginny had had a bigger falling out than she had. When Ginny had told Ron that Hermione was dating Draco, he had blown his top.

She felt Harry’s sigh disturb her hair. “I’ve been ready to apologize, but you know how stubborn they both are. Neither one wants to give in. It’s really putting a strain on Ginny and I, we fight every time I mention it. She’s still right pissed at what he did to you and that he’s still seeing Daphne.”

Hermione’s jaw clenched involuntarily at that news. She’d had no idea that Ron was still seeing her. “Maybe I can talk to her, tell her that I’m beginning to forgive Ronald and become friends with him again.” 

Harry kissed the top of her head again, “I’d really appreciate that, Hermione, and I think that would actually help a lot. Now, I know you came to see me for a reason. What did you need?”

“Oh! I was going to take the rest of today off, I really need to go and check on Draco.” She said, sitting up and looking over at Harry, giving him an apologetic look. 

He chuckled softly, giving her a nod, “Go ahead, Hermione. I understand, I’m sure I’d have done the same if Ginny had been in a similar situation. Tell Draco I said hello. If you need tomorrow off, just let me know.”

Hermione hugged Harry around the neck, murmuring her thanks as he squeezed her. She left his office and went back toward her own, stopping by Daneel’s desk. The young witch looked up when Hermione stopped in front of her. “Hey, Daneel. I just wanted to stop by and tell you that I am leaving for the rest of the day. I should return tomorrow. Any messages I receive, just hold until then. Unless they are important and need to be tended to today. Then you can forward them onto Harry.”

“Of course, Hermione. Are you feeling well?” Daneel looked at her, concern in her eyes and Hermione couldn’t help but smile at the girl. 

“Yes, I am feeling fine. I am just going to check in with Draco. The Dublin house had another attack today and it was a rather dangerous one.”

Her assistant nodded, understanding completely, grabbing Hermione’s cloak from the rack behind her desk, holding it up for her. Hermione slid into it with a smile. “Thank you, Daneel. You are the best. Remind me to treat you to lunch Friday.”

“I will!” The pretty girl smiled at her, waving her wand at the muggle desk calendar, the memo appearing in Friday’s square. “See you later, Hermione.”

Hermione quickly made her way to the Floo network in the atrium, a handful of powder in her hand. She stepped in and called out, “Draco’s office.” The swirling of the different grates nearly made her sick, but she stepped out at the correct grate. Her eyes immediately scanned the room, seeing Draco standing with his back to her, eyes focused on the view beyond his office window.

She ran to him, her arms wrapping around his waist from behind, hanging on for dear life as her face buried between his shoulder blades. She drug his scent into her lungs, not caring that it was tainted by the dirty smell of the filth of the street he’d been laying on. She could still catch his natural smell beneath it and it calmed her.

Her hand slid up his stomach to rest on his chest, feeling his heart thundering underneath her palm. His own hand moved to cover hers and squeezed. She felt his ribs expand as he breathed in deeply. “I’m okay, Hermione. I’m okay, my love. Not even a scratch.”

He turned in her arms, his hands moving to cradle her face, thumbs caressing her cheekbones. His eyes were haunted, the ghosts of the two employees he’d lost clearly visible in the grey depths. “I’m so sorry, Draco. So very sorry.”

Draco’s lips turned up in a sad smile, “I know, my love. Come, let’s not talk about it, please. I need to hold you. Can we go to your flat?”

Hermione nodded her head in his hands, “Whatever you need, Draco.” She moved herself to stand next to him, sliding her arm into his, linking their fingers and apparating them away. They landed right in her living room, but once they gained their bearings, she led him into her bedroom. She climbed right onto her bed, tugging him with her. He followed her willingly and wrapped her up in his arms, clinging to her tightly.

She tucked her head under his chin, and when his nose tucked into her hair, she felt him inhale. On the exhale, his entire body shuddered, as if releasing the evil he’d seen and Hermione wanted to weep for him. Instead, she simply whispered, “I love you, Draco.”

His quiet voice drifted into her ears, fear etched into the four words. Saying exactly what he couldn’t, wouldn’t say. “I love you too, Hermione.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please, let me know what you think! Love you guys bunches!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello my lovelies! I'm back with a new chapter of our lovely Say You Won't Let Go! I am so glad to be back on the wagon, so to speak. I'll keep this brief, I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the original characters, but not anything that J.K. came up with. I make no profit from any of this.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!

It had been a week since the Dublin incident and Hermione had been near inseparable from Draco. To be honest, he wouldn’t have it any other way. It comforted him to have her so close. The only time they were separated was when they were both working, and even then they spent their lunches together.

 

Hermione had left less than thirty minutes before, heading back to her office. Draco had a stack of paperwork, finalizing the moves of the victims from the Dublin house. More than half of them had taken up the offer to move to America, and that took more paperwork than the Europe transfers.

 

A knock on the door had him looking up, curious as to who it could be. He’d specifically told his secretary to not let anyone disturb him. “Who is it?” He barked out, not pleased in the slightest at being disturbed. Not that he’d been doing any work--all he’d been doing was staring out of the wall of windows, thinking about his witch.

 

“It’s your mother, my sweet. May I come in?” she asked politely, as if she would wait for an answer, but she opened the door anyway. “Or are you too busy?”

 

If he was being honest with himself, he had missed his mother’s company over the last few months. He’d been spending so much time working on the Abuse Act, finally getting it passed, trying to beef up security at all of the houses and spending his time with Hermione, that he’d neglected spending time with the other important woman in his life.

  
  


“I’m never too busy for my beautiful mother.” He smiled and rose from his seat to go and greet her, kissing her cheeks and wrapping her in a hug.

  
  


She pulled back, tipping her head to look up at him and cradling his face in her palms. “My sweet boy, you look positively exhausted.” Her thumbs swept under his eyes, over the purple, bruise-like bags. The motion reminded him of the bruises he’d often seen on her face in his childhood and he felt a profound sadness tighten his chest as tears stung his eyes.

  
  


“I haven’t seen you to tell you about the latest attack on the Dublin house. It was nearly destroyed this time around and Ronald Weasley nearly got himself killed by the man who was trying to get to his family. I saved his life.” Draco sighed, leaning into his mother’s gentle caresses on his face.

  
  


“That was so brave of you, dear. And so very selfless. I am proud of you, my son. For all you have done. Now, when are you going to bring that beautiful girl around so that I can finally meet her, properly?”

  
  


Draco smiled softly at his mother, his ears pinking slightly. “I’ll talk to Hermione tonight, Mum, see what I can arrange. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to meet you. Perhaps we could have dinner on Christmas Eve?”

  
  


His mother smiled and nodded her agreement, giving his cheek a loving pat, “That sounds perfect, my sweet boy. I’ll leave you to your work now, Draco. I just wanted to stop in and check on you, as I was in this part of the city. Oh, I almost forgot.” She rifled in her purse and pulled out a packet of Fizzing Whizbees, handing them over. “Your favorite sweet for my favorite sweet. I love you, my son. Have a good evening.” With a kiss to his cheek, she left his office, the smell of her perfume lingering on the air. He breathed in the soothing and comforting scent, letting it fill his lungs, even as the memories of the past surfaced and began to haunt his mind.

  
  


_He was eight years old, wandering through the manor, looking around through the mostly unused rooms. He knew he wasn’t supposed to wander like that, but he couldn’t help it. He was bored. He'd finished all of his schoolwork, read the books his mother had set him, and swam his laps in the pool._

  
  


_He should have been in the library, finding a book to read for his own pleasure, but instead, he was doing something his father frowned upon. Coming across a room that was locked, he looked around him in the hallways, checking that neither of his parents were coming, and wiggled his fingers at the door. His magic had always come easily to him, even from the young age of four, when he understood the consequences of accidental magic. His father had drilled those consequences into him at a young age._

  
  


_When the lock clicked open, Draco pushed the door open and slipped inside. He could feel something brush against his magic, something not good. He didn’t understand what it was, but he pushed inside the room anyway. He glanced around at all of the dark artifacts lining the walls, in cabinets and even on the floor. The Aubusson rug beneath his feet hummed with power and it energized him, even at eight years old, but it made him feel sick to his stomach._

  
  


_He’d barely had time to look around at what his father had stored in the room, when the door opened wide and an incensed Lucius stood in the door frame. “Draco! What are you doing in here? You have been told time and again not to go into the rooms that are locked.”_

  
  


_Lucius grabbed Draco by the ear and drug him from the room, using his wand to slam the door and lock it, warding it in the process, so that Draco’s magic trick wouldn’t work again. Once in Lucius’ office, his father had tossed him on the floor and ripped the belt from the slacks he’d been wearing. He never cared what part of Draco’s flesh he met with the leather strip, just so long as his message was delivered._

  
  


Pulling himself from the memory, Draco found his body shaking, his fingers trembling with repressed anger and fear. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, calming himself. His thoughts were full of his evenings spent with Hermione. His thumb dug into the palm of his other hand, circling with pressure. The mixture of the pressure, thinking of Hermione, and taking the deep breaths helped to calm him and he was able to start on his paperwork. He was ready to finish his day and go wait for Hermione at her flat.

  
  


XxX

  
  


Lunch with Draco had been wonderful. They’d dined in his office, with no one disturbing them. She had sat on his lap and they had alternated feeding each other. When they were full, he had spun the chair around and they had watched the snow fall.

  
  


Now she was sitting in her own office chair, wishing for the view Draco had. Her fake window only portrayed a fake spring day and it did nothing for her winter’s soul. She loved the snow, the way it turned everything white and sparkling.

  
  


A knock on her door brought her out of her reverie and she looked up from the paperwork she’d been holding in her hand for Merlin knew how long. “Yes?” She called out to Daneel, whom she could recognize through the frosted glass.

  
  


Her door opened and Daneel stuck her head through the crack.“There’s a gentlewizard here to see you, he asked for you specifically.” Daneel’s voice lowered. “He looks rather haggard and he has two young and frightened children with him.”

  
  


That caught Hermione’s attention immediately and she sat up straighter in her chair. “Two children you said?”

  
  


At Daneel’s nod, Hermione frowned, putting away her paperwork, locking it in a drawer for safekeeping. “Please, send them in.”

  
  


Hermione stood, moving around to the end of her desk, and straightened her skirt. Her door closed as Daneel exited, leaving to retrieve the small family. A few moments later, she knocked again and Hermione called out, “Please, come in.”

  
  


The door opened and Daneel stepped aside, revealing the wizard behind her, two terrified and shaking children clinging to the legs of his trousers. He shuffled forward, his hands on the heads of the boy and girl with little blond ringlets. Their hair color was not so different from Draco’s. Their coloring didn’t come from their father, so Hermione assumed it must come from their mother.

  
  


Daneel shut the door and Hermione spoke first, her eyes locking with the father before turning to the kids, stooping down to their level. “Hello, I’m Hermione Granger. What are your names?”

  
  


The two children cowered even further behind their father’s legs, fear evident in their eyes and it broke Hermione’s heart. She straightened from her crouch and addressed the father once more, her voice kind. “What is your name, sir?”

  
  


He cleared his throat, swallowing thickly, his eyes flickering to the couch. Hermione apologized quietly. “I am so very sorry, please, have a seat.” She walked to the door, opening it and asking Daneel to have the cafeteria send some refreshments up for the father and children.

  
  


When she closed the door once more, the family was seated and Hermione took her own chair, nodding at the man to begin his story.

  
  


“My name is Harrison Blackwell. And these are my children, Tobias and Tabitha.” The little girl beside him whimpered. She looked no older than two years old, and he lifted her onto his lap, kissing her head.

  
  


“It is nice to meet you, Harrison. Hello, Tobias and Tabitha, it is nice to meet you, too.” The little boy, no older than six, buried his face into his father's side. It was clear to Hermione why they were here. But she needed to hear the story anyway.

  
  


“I know why you are here, Harrison, and I will do everything in my power to help you, but I still need to hear the story.”

  
  


At that moment, the door opened and Daneel came in, levitating a tray of snacks and lemonade, setting it on the little table in front of the couch. This loosened the kids up and they looked to their father for permission. He quickly nodded at them. As they dove into the refreshments, Hermione smiled at the man.

  
  


His cheeks were hollow and unshaven, the few days’ worth of stubble hiding yellowing bruises along his jaw. His eyes had dark circles under them and his irises were dull and defeated. “Please, Mr. Blackwell, tell me your story.”

  
  


Hermione pulled a clean sheet of parchment free and picked up her Quick Quotes Quill, setting it on its tip. The man began to weave his sordid tale, starting with his courtship of his wife, Evangeline. They married two years later, after graduating from Hogwarts and spent a couple of years in wedded bliss. Then Tobias was born and it had been as if a switch had been flipped inside the beautiful woman.

  
  


She had become vile and cruel to her husband and children, threatening their lives and hitting her husband, until finally, a day ago, he had taken the kids and left. “I should have summoned the Aurors, but I wanted to come straight to you. You helped write the laws. You work so closely with Mr. Malfoy. Please help us hide.”

  
  


The pleading in the wizard’s voice ripped Hermione’s heart to shreds and she only just managed to hold back her tears. “There is a safe house in Turkey that will be the perfect place for your family. If you will give me but a moment, I will get Mr. Malfoy here and we will get things started.”

  
  


Hermione rose from her seat and walked to the door, opening it she summoned Daneel to her. “Daneel will sit with you. I will return momentarily." She then walked to the Floo, took a pinch of powder, and called out for Draco’s office.

  
  


XxX

  
  


Draco’s head turned to the fireplace when it roared to life, watching as Hermione stumbled out. She was shaking, her right hand reflexively rubbing over her left forearm, where that vile word was carved into her skin. Her eyes were peeled wide, tears escaping as soon as she was steady, and her teeth were chattering. He jumped up and rushed over to her, wrapping her in his arms. He didn’t say anything right away, knowing she needed to calm down first. His hand immediately began rubbing her back in soothing circles.

  
  


After a few minutes, Hermione had stopped crying and shaking, her breathing back to normal. She stepped back from Draco’s chest, but stayed within his arms. He gently brushed her hair back, looking down into her beautiful, red-rimmed and puffy honey-colored eyes, “What happened, my love?”

  
  


“Oh, Draco. I didn’t...I never thought…” She stalled, her lip wobbling as she attempted to hold back her tears once again. After another minute or so of struggling, she steeled herself and straightened her spine. “I’ve never seen abuse first hand, nor have I seen the evidence of it. But I have a father and his two children in my office right now, seeking protection. Draco, the man has bruises on his face, the kids…” A few stray tears managed to escape as her breath hitched. “They are terrified of Daneel and I, of women in general. You can just see it in how they cower from us and they can’t be more than six and two. It’s terrible, just terrible.”

  
  


Draco pulled her in for a hug once again, squeezing her to his chest, frowning into her hair. “I’m so sorry you have had to see this, Hermione. Did you need me?”

  
  


Hermione nodded, leaning back and wiping her eyes, “Yes, you have the most intimate knowledge of where all of the safe houses are. I suggested the one in Turkey, he seemed agreeable enough. If that is truly what he wants, I wanted him to be able to leave from my office and go straight to Turkey. So we need to take the appropriate paperwork with us. His name is Harrison Blackwell and the children are Tobias and Tabitha.”

  
  


He looked down at the woman he loved with every inch of his being and could never imagine hurting her, or vice versa. He brushed her hair back once again and leaned in for a gentle kiss. “Alright, my love. Let me collect my briefcase, it has all that I’ll need.”

  
  


Draco left her side, went back to his desk and pulled his suit jacket on, and bending down to pick up his briefcase. Together they walked to the fireplace. Hermione returned to her office first, Draco following.

  
  


As he stepped free of the Floo and stood to his full height, he brushed off the front of his suit and smiled around the room. He gave Daneel a polite nod before she exited the office, then moved to stand next to Hermione behind her desk. “Hello, I am Draco Malfoy. It is nice to meet you, Mr. Blackwell.” He leaned forward to shake the man’s hand and smiled at the kids. He laid his briefcase down on Hermione’s desk and crouched down in front of the children.

  
  


“What is your name, little tyke?” he asked Tobias, even though he already knew. The boy, for the first time, didn’t cower, and puffed out his chest in confidence. “Tobias Antonin Blackwell.”

  
  


Draco raised his eyebrows in a fake impressed look. “ _The_ Tobias Antonin Blackwell? Who loves to play with his toy dragons and ride on his toy broom all day?” The little boy's eyes widened in shock that Draco had known such intimate details about him. But the small bag the father had brought with them had a toy broomstick handle sticking out of it, and his shirt had dragons on it. Draco watched as the boy nodded slowly. “That’s me. I’m the one.”

  
  


As the little boy began to giggle, Draco winked at him and turned to his sister. “And what about you, Princess? What is your name?” The little girl looked awestruck up at him and he couldn’t help but notice the coloring of her hair. He glanced back at her brother, realizing he had the same hair color as well. They both had nearly the same color hair as he had, which made him curious as to who exactly their mother was. “Tabitha Lyra Blackwell.”

  
  


“A beautiful name, for a beautiful princess.” He lifted a hand up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, and was struck by an odd feeling in his chest. It reminded him of what he did to Hermione, but more than that, he could see a little bit of himself and Hermione in these children. It was in their hair: the blond hue that matched his, the curls that were so like hers. The coloring of their skin was even similar to Hermione’s. Shaking himself, he stood and returned to Hermione’s side, wondering if she’d seen it, too.

  
  


An hour later, they had the paperwork done, with enough Galleons in the wizard’s pocket to get him settled in at the safe house and get himself and the children some new clothes and toys. After some quick work on Hermione’s side, and some help from Kingsley, she had connected the Floo in her office to the one in the Turkish Minister’s secretary’s office.

  
  


Neither child was familiar with the way the floo worked. Tobias was old enough to know how, but had never used it before. Tabitha was simply too young, and so Draco had agreed to Floo to Turkey, holding her. They had gone first, so that Draco could translate for the father.

  
  


Once he had gotten them safely into the warded house, he'd apparated directly to Hermione’s flat. They had agreed to just meet there, as it was nearing the end of the work day. As he steadied himself and looked at his surroundings, he smiled at Hermione, standing by her fireplace, staring into the flames.

  
  


He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned into him with a quiet sigh, her head turning to run her nose along his throat. “I think that is one of the hardest things I've faced in a while. To see the product of abuse firsthand. Draco, how could someone be so cruel?”

  
  


His thumbs traced along her ribs as he thought about his answer, long and hard. “For some, it's about teaching a lesson. They don't care, as long as that lesson is learned.” He shuddered, recalling for a moment the memory that had surfaced after his mother's visit. “We can't know what drives every abuser, we just aren't in that person's mind. But what we can do, is take the person or persons that are in harm's way out of that situation and put them in a safe environment.”

  
  


As they both fell silent, he kissed her temple, letting her mull over what he'd said for a bit. The fire kept them warm.

  
  


His mother's earlier question suddenly popped into his mind again, making him chuckle. Hermione turned to look up at him. “What?”

  
  


“My mother stopped by to see me today. Just after you left from lunch. Guess what she asked me.” When Hermione simply gave a shrug, he grinned at her. “She asked when I was going to bring you round so she could meet you. Properly.” Hermione just stared up at him in stunned silence, and he reveled in the fact that he had finally, after nine years, made Hermione Granger speechless.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please let me know what you thought! Much love to you all!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My lovelies! Hello again! It's so nice to see you! You are getting two updates from me today! I'm keeping this note brief as well, so I hope that you enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!

Draco had just apparated into Hermione’s flat, grinning like the cat that had caught the canary. This week had been much better, now that the Blackwell family was placed and adjusting, Hermione was more at peace. Tonight they were going to have dinner with his mother, but he had other plans as well.

He had just come from the Manor getting everything set up. His mother had been hovering over his shoulder the entire time, wanting to know what he was doing. Of course, he wasn't going to tell anyone what he was doing. He wanted it to be a complete surprise.

Draco hadn’t come up with anything he thought that would be the perfect gift for his witch for Christmas until this idea had popped into his mind and taken root. Though, to be honest, it had started when he and Weasley had been in trouble at the Dublin house. Then, seeing her interact so well with the Blackwell family had been eye opening. Not to mention what he'd seen when he'd looked at those children.

The strange way they'd both looked like Draco and Hermione. It had just instilled in Draco that he wanted Hermione in his life that much more.

“Hey, I thought I heard you pop in. I was in the bath, you could have joined me.” The object of his thoughts walked into her living room, hair falling in controlled ringlets around her shoulders. She looked radiant and she was all his.

Draco grinned at her as he stood, leaning down to give Hermione a kiss. “I didn't want make us late. Mum would kill me and we can't have that.”

Hermione laughed softly and he soaked in the sound, “No, we most definitely can't have that. I'm all ready if you are.” Draco spun her around, his eyes sweeping over her luscious form, still unbelieving that she was all his.

“I will always be ready for you, Hermione Granger. My mother’s hawk-like stare and invasive questioning, however, I could probably live without. But as I like breathing, we'd better go.” Draco chuckled as he tucked Hermione’s hand into the bend of his elbow, apparating them away to the Manor.

For the first time, they arrived in the receiving room instead of Draco’s suite, and he could feel her start to tremble as her nerves took hold. Hermione hadn’t been out of his suite before, so she hadn't been back in this part of the Manor since her torture. “We won't go near that part of the house. Mum has it magically sealed off.” He led her from the parlor and toward the dining room, his hand on her lower back, rubbing soothing circles.

Hermione visibly relaxed then upon hearing that the part of the manor where she was tortured was sealed off. It was as if she felt those demons couldn’t get to her now, like the ghost of his crazy aunt was locked away in there as well. He hated seeing his normally strong witch feeling so scared and vulnerable.

They were standing at the dining room doors and Draco opened them, revealing his mother standing from her chair at the table with a smile. “Oh, I’m so glad that you’re finally here!” The older witch made her way around the table and up to Draco and Hermione. Her arms engulfed Hermione in a hug, completely disregarding her son. “Hermione, it’s so nice to officially meet you, darling. I know we briefly met previously, but we didn’t get a chance to properly meet.”

Hermione looked at him with slightly shocked eyes, but covered with a smile when she pulled back to look at his mother, “It’s a pleasure to formally meet you as well, Mrs. Malfoy. You have a lovely home.” 

His mother waved away Hermione’s compliments with a smile of her own, “Please, call me Narcissa, or Cissa. Mrs. Malfoy was my mother-in-law. My, you are so very beautiful. Draco, isn’t she beautiful?”

Draco grinned at Hermione and nodded at his mother. “Yes, mum, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on.” At the little sniff from his mother Draco grinned again, leaning in to kiss his mother’s cheek. “Aside from you, of course. Shall we be seated?” He made a show of pulling out both chairs for the women, helping them both to their seats, placing kisses to the crowns of both of their heads. After all, that was a show of care and affection and he cared very much for both of them. Draco’s life was full now, he thought as he took his seat between the two women.

The elves appeared once everyone was settled and began to serve the feast. The prawn cocktails were first and Hermione dug in enthusiastically, Draco watching closely. “What have we got this year, mum? Last year we had turkey, year before we had goose,” Draco said, leaning over to Hermione with a grin. They both missed the roll of Narcissa’s eyes. 

“We are having braised duck breast this year, Draco. Don’t act as if you’ve never had it before. You know we alternate every year. We are also having the typical roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, carrots,  stuffing and gravy.”

As Hermione’s plate was set in front of her, her eyes lit up, a grin spreading her lips wide. “Oh! Pigs in a blanket! My favorite!” She actually clapped her hands in excitement, and Draco couldn’t help but chuckle.  
“Would the Miss Hermione like some gravy?” Hermione turned her gaze to the elf at her elbow. Draco knew she was still uncomfortable with having house elves serve her, but he had also reassured her several times that all elves in this household were paid.

“Yes, please, Miffy,” Hermione answered, watching as the gravy boat floated magically into the air, drizzling gravy all over the items on the plate. The elf then moved onto the mistress of the house, serving her as well, while Narcissa turned her eyes to Hermione. “So, Hermione, how are things going as Deputy Head of the MLE?”

Hermione perked up, straightening her spine as she started to cut away at a piece of her duck breast. “Things are going great, Narcissa. We have made great strides in the work that Draco and I did with the Domestic Abuse Act, expanding it down into a children’s division as well. As child abuse doesn’t always coincide with spousal abuse.”

Draco gave Miffy a nod for gravy, as he listened to his mother and Hermione talk, giving a smile to his witch. He had another idea in mind for tonight as well, and with the way this conversation was going, it would lead right into what he wanted to propose. But that would have to come later, in the gardens, after her gift.

As the dinner wore on, the conversation flowed effortlessly. Hermione and his mother chatted as if they had been friends all along. This pleased Draco to no end. Both of these women were going to be in his life for a very long time, if he had anything to say about it, and they needed to get along.

“Hermione, do you prefer Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, or trifle?” his mother asked, her blue eyes resting on the other witch at the table. Draco studied his mother, her regal face showing no signs of her ever having been at the mercy of a brutal man. All those Christmases with his father, they had always had Christmas cake, and every year since his death, they had switched back and forth between the pudding and trifle. To see his mother willingly offer the Christmas cake once again, just to try and make Hermione feel at home, gave him a new insight into the woman who had raised him.

It took Hermione a moment to answer and Draco looked over, his hand moving to rest on her thigh and squeezing in support. “I always had the trifle at my house with my parents and with the Weasleys we always had the pudding. But I don’t want to decide for everyone. This is your home, you decide, Narcissa.” Hermione smiled at his mum, but it was shaky and her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

Draco couldn’t be mad at his mother for asking such an innocent question. She certainly had no idea of what had happened to Hermione’s parents, as that had been kept from her. Any plans that weren’t essential for the whole of the Dark Lord’s Army to know were not disclosed to the minor members. And as his mother had never been branded, she hadn’t been on the need-to-know list.

“I am sorry if my question has brought up some unpleasant memories, Hermione. Whichever would bring that beautiful smile of yours back, please, choose. I want this to be a happy memory for you,” Narcissa said, reaching across Draco. Hermione met her halfway and clasping her hand. 

“Then I believe the trifle will be perfect, thank you.”

His mother nodded and called for Miffy, the elf returning with a pop. “Yes, Mistress? Dessert time?” 

Narcissa caressed the elf’s ear, twiddling the small golden hoop the little elf was wearing, and smiled. “Yes, Miffy, we are going to have the trifle, please. Thank you.”

Hermione stood from the table with a smile to both Draco and Narcissa, “Is there a bathroom close? I would like to go and freshen myself up a little bit.” Draco went to rise from his seat, but his mother stopped him. “I’ll show her the way, darling.” She rose from her seat and slid her arm through Hermione’s with a smile. “Come dear, this way.” Draco watched as the two women disappeared from the dining room, a smile on his face as they continued to converse.

XxX

Hermione had been so nervous the entire night and it wasn’t just because she was returning to the place she was tortured. It was the fact that she was meeting Draco’s mother. The woman had never been anything but nice to her since the end of the war the few times they had met. And it had proven true as the night had progressed.

Now, as they walked arm in arm down the wide hallway, Hermione looked over at the woman, giving her a smile. “I truly do want to thank you for giving me the choice on the dessert, Narcissa. It means a lot to me.”

Narcissa squeezed her arm, giving her hand a pat, “Oh, sweetheart, as I said, I want this to be a happy memory for you. I do want to apologize for making you sad earlier, though. May I ask what happened to your parents? I assume that is what turned you so morose.”

A frown appeared on Hermione’s brow as she nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Before Harry, Ron and I left on the Horcrux hunt, I memory charmed my parents and implanted the idea in their brains for them to move to Australia. Instead of leaving immediately, they lingered, putting the house on the market. The day before they were set to leave, Death Eaters showed up and tortured them for information. When they were unable to break through the memory charms I set upon them...” Hermione paused, her eyes filling with tears, wiping away the one that escaped. “They used the Cruciatus on them until they were mentally incapacitated and then killed them.”

When Hermione met Narcissa’s gaze, there was the pity that she saw every time she told this story. But she didn’t hate it from this woman, just like she didn’t hate it from her son. Because it was a different kind of pity. “Oh, my darling girl. I am so very sorry. I do hope that my husband wasn’t involved.”

Narcissa cupped Hermione’s face and wiped the falling tears away with her thumbs. Hermione shrugged a little, a small smile gracing her lips. “I don’t know which Death Eaters were involved, just what happened, because they pulled a memory from my mother’s mind and left it in a phial for the aurors to find.”

Hermione choked up once more, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. “Harry still won’t let me see the memory. It’s the last thing I have of my mother, but I know that it is a good thing. That is not something I need to see. I don’t need to see my mother that way. It wasn’t her anyway.”

Once again, Narcissa’s thumbs swiped away the tears and she gave Hermione a sad smile, “My darling child, both you and Harry are right. That memory is something you do not need to witness. Your mother and father might have physically died that day, Hermione. But in truth, they died the day you Obliviated them. They became new people the day you wiped their memories.”

Hermione had thought about it that way a couple of times. It was the only thing that made it easier on her when she had a particularly bad day. “Thank you for saying that. I try to tell myself that when I am having a bad day. It helps hearing it coming from another person, a friend.”

Narcissa smiled at her, leaning in to give her a kiss on her forehead. “My darling, I hope to be your family some day. Now, here is the powder room. I’m sure you can remember the way back to the dining room. I’ll see you soon.” The elder witch opened the door and left Hermione alone in the hallway feeling lighter than she had all evening. She stepped into the powder room, mulling over the last thing Narcissa had said and found herself hoping, too, that Narcissa would soon be her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well? What did you think? Leave a review or comment and let me know! For those of you that don't read Soul Bound, I have a lot of new things in the works. I don't know when they'll be posted, but keep your eyes open! I also have an author page over at facebook. Com/ElleMalfoy65 so go and check that out if you'd like. I'm still working on it, but it's there!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle!


	18. 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, my dears, here is a short chapter, but you can blame my dear Claire. I gave her the choice of a cliffy or no and she chose Cliffy. But I am working on the next chapter already, and I have great things in the wings. Also, she has an amazing Dramionaise out on AO3 called This Life. Her penname is coyg_81 so go and check it out! Also, huge shout out to my lovely beta Frogster, she is amazing as usual. I couldn't do it without her help. Please let me know what you think.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

Once Hermione pulled herself together in the bathroom, she found her way back to the dining room where Narcissa and Draco were. The rest of the dinner passed by quickly and in relative silence, the three of them enjoying dessert. It was nice to have the same dessert she’d shared with her parents; it made her feel at home, like she was a part of the family. When they finished up, Narcissa smiled. “Did you enjoy that?”

Hermione nodded, wiping her mouth with her napkin. “Yes, thank you again for allowing me to choose dessert tonight, it was wonderful and very nostalgic for me.” Draco smiled at her and stood, coming to pull out Hermione’s chair. Then he moved to pull out Narcissa’s, giving his mother a kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you for dinner, we’ll be back in soon to do gifts. I’m going to take Hermione for a tour of the gardens.”

Narcissa smiled and came over to give Hermione a hug, which she returned readily. “Enjoy the gardens, darling. They’re the one thing that Lucius got right, aside from giving me my darling son, of course.”

The woman ghosted from the room with a smile playing on her lips and Hermione felt Draco’s arms wrap around her middle. She leaned back into his chest and smiled softly, resting her head against his shoulder. “This was lovely. It made me feel at home for the first time since my parents.”

Draco kissed her temple and left his lips there while he spoke, “I am so glad that you can feel at home here. I want you to feel comfortable around my mum and I. Come on, let’s go and take that tour of the gardens.” He slid his hand into hers and linked their fingers with a smile. Draco lead them to the French doors that were at the back of the room, opening them wide.

The sight that met Hermione had her sucking in a quiet breath. There were lights twinkling all over the gardens, hanging from the lowest tree branches, lighting the manicured shrubs and flowers even in the darkness. They stepped out into a winding maze of low shrubs, Hermione following Draco’s lead. “This is absolutely beautiful, Draco. Your mother was right, this is one of the only things your father got right, aside from you. You were the best thing he ever did.”

Draco pulled her to a stop in a circular clearing, next to a ornate cast iron bench. He gestured for her to sit down and she did with a smile. He waved his wand and some light music started to play in the background and he joined her on the bench. “I could say you were the best thing that your parents ever did as well, Hermione. You’re so perfect. So perfect for me. Dance with me?”

Hermione took Draco’s outstretched hands and stood with him. She was immediately pulled into his embrace, more than happy to be there. The wine from the meal had her feeling loose and relaxed and she rested her head on his chest as he hummed along to the music, the sound vibrating her ear. She closed her eyes and just soaked up the moment. “I love you, Draco.”

XxX

Hermione’s words whispered in the quiet night air and he smiled, kissing the top of her head gently. “And I love you, Hermione.” They danced for a few songs, the quiet music setting the tone, and the longer he waited, the more his nerves began to flutter in his stomach. As the current song came to a close, he spun Hermione out away from him, grinning at her when he caught her eyes.

When the next song began, Hermione smiled up at him. “Hey, I know this song. It’s the new song by my favorite group, Lifehouse.” Draco nodded and grinned, starting to sing along with the lyrics as he moved them around the circular clearing in the garden.

“I’m desperate for changing,  
Starving for truth,  
I’m closer to where I started,  
Chasing after you.

I’m falling even more in love with you,  
Letting go of all I’ve held onto,  
I’m standing here until you make me move,  
I’m hanging by a moment here with you.”

Draco made the music fade a little with a wandless spell, leaving just the instruments playing. “The words in this song are so very true, Hermione. When we reconnected, I was desperate to change myself, become a better person. Starving to find the truth of who I truly was. And then I allowed myself to see the truth of how I really felt about you. I’d been denying it for so long. It wasn’t until I started chasing after you that I knew who I was again.”

The music swelled again, the words resuming as well as Draco’s singing.

“Forgetting all I’m lacking,  
Completely incomplete,  
I’ll take your invitation,  
You take all of me.

Now I’m falling even more in love with you,  
Letting go of all I’ve held onto,  
I’m standing here until you make me move,  
I’m hanging by a moment here with you.”

Once again, an instrumental interlude took over and Draco’s voice whispered across her ear as he spoke quietly. “I forget all of my faults when I’m with you and you take me as I am, without a care in the world of what I’ve done in my past. And I will be standing here, right in front of you, until you make me move, because I am not going anywhere.” Draco kissed her temple and pulled back to look in her eyes, which were shining with tears as she smiled up at him. He started singing to her once again.

“I’m living for the only thing I know,  
I’m running and not quite sure where to go,  
And I don’t know what I’m diving into,  
Just hanging by a moment here with you.

There’s nothing else to lose, there’s nothing else to find,  
There’s nothing in the world that can change my mind.  
There is nothing else.”

Draco let the rest of the music play as he pulled back to look down into Hermione’s eyes, giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. “I live for you, every day. I don’t live for myself. You’re the first though I have when I wake up in the morning, the last thought on my mind before I go to sleep and you occupy every thought in between. I don’t know exactly what I’m diving into here, but I know that I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else than right here, hanging by this moment, here with you.”

Hermione brought one of her hands up to wipe at her eyes and Draco took the chance to drop to one knee, looking up at her. Her eyes widened as she realized his intentions and her hand fell from her face to her heart as he kept her left hand in his grasp. His free hand slipped into his pocket to pull out the velvet box. “I couldn’t decide what to get the girl who had everything. But the one thing you don’t have is my last name. I’m so in love with you, Hermione Granger. And I hope you know, darling, your love is more than worth its weight in gold. We’ve come so far, look how we’ve grown. And I want to stay with you until we’re grey and old. Will you marry me?”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Boy, let me tell you guys. I have been working on this story non-stop since the “big idea” hit me a few chapters ago. Now, it's not in this chapter, but it's in the next. However, there is Hermione’s answer and Draco’s Christmas gift in this one. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

Hermione couldn’t believe her eyes and ears. Draco was kneeling before her, opening the small black velvet box. The ring inside was antique and ornate, made of the finest alexandrite that she had ever seen, the stone alternating colors in the twinkling lights. The cut was hard to define; it was cut so that the colors were shown perfectly when the light reflected off of it. He was looking at her expectantly and she couldn’t help but sink down in front of him. Her hands came up to cup his face gently in her hands, leaning in to kiss him. “I would love to become the newest Malfoy. Yes, I will marry you, Draco. I would marry you tomorrow if that’s what you wanted. This ring is beautiful. It looks old, where did it come from?”

Draco leaned forward to kiss her gently, a smile stretching his lips wide. “I love you so much, Hermione. It’s an old family heirloom from the vaults.” He slipped the ring onto her finger and wrapped his arms around her waist, standing them up.

“I love you, Draco Malfoy. So much more than I ever thought I was capable of loving anyone.” She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled up at him. “Did your mum help you set all this up?”

He shook his head as he looked around at the setting, one of the white peacocks strutting in the distance. “No, she was out here hovering the whole time, trying to pry it from me though. She has no idea what I had planned. So this was sort of her Christmas gift as well, I suppose.”

Hermione pursed her lips, trying to suppress her grin. “I hate to spoil your surprise, but I think she had an idea of what you were going to do.” 

The look on Draco’s face was priceless. He looked shocked and surprised all at once, spluttering, trying to find his words. “She tipped you off, didn’t she?” he finally managed, his face falling, eyes turning sad. 

Hermione cupped his cheeks once again and looked into his eyes with a smile. “No, babe, she didn’t. Just some of the things she said tonight. Like that she hoped to be my family one day.”

 

Draco chuckled, kissing Hermione’s forehead. “I should have known better than to even let her know I was doing something in the gardens in the first place. That woman is too smart for her own good. Come on, let’s head back inside. She’s got a gift for you.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes, “She does?”

“Yes, my love, she does. See, you may not officially be a part of the family yet, but to her, you’re the daughter she never had. So you better get used to the spoiling -- it has only just begun.” He linked their hands and led them back into the manor. Hermione looked around at the portraits decking the halls, surprised to find that some of them were Muggle art.

They arrived at a sitting room where Narcissa was sitting, reading the newest copy of Witch Weekly. “Oh, there you two are. I was wondering if you’d gotten lost out there.” 

Draco walked over and kissed his mum on the cheek, Hermione following and taking a seat beside her future mother-in-law. “No, mum, we didn’t get lost. I just had something I had to get off my chest.”

Narcissa’s eyes were alight with a mischievous look as she glanced over at Hermione, “Oh? And how did that go, darling?” 

Draco shook his head with his trademark smirk, sitting in the armchair that was closest to Hermione. “You figured it out didn’t you?” 

His mum nodded, laughing softly as she set her magazine aside, reaching for Hermione’s hand. “I remember that ring so well. Lucius tried to give it to me, but as it is goblin made, it will only recognize a union that will stand the test of time and the trials and tribulations that come with that. So it wouldn’t size to fit my finger. I should have known then that our marriage was doomed, but it was a contract our families had made and I couldn’t break it.”

The witch waved her hand and smiled at Hermione, “But enough of that. It is time for your gift!” Narcissa rose from the settee and walked over to the small tree in the corner, lifting an elegantly wrapped gift box and bringing it over to Hermione, laying it in her lap.

Hermione smiled at Narcissa and looked over at Draco before pulling the ribbon from the wrapping and carefully removing the paper. The white box underneath was plain and Hermione lifted the lid. A smile lifted her lips as she pulled out the most beautiful blue silk dress she had ever seen. “Oh, Narcissa, this is beautiful. Thank you so much. It’s almost too much. Draco and I got you something as well.”

Hermione looked over at Draco with a smile and turned back to Narcissa. “We don’t have an actual gift, but it’s a portkey that will be waiting for you at the Ministry to spend New Year’s in Milan for the fashion show for Madam Zerafine.”

Narcissa clear blue eyes went wide as she gasped, her fingers covering her lips. “Oh, my dears, you shouldn’t have. That is too kind. Oh, I do love the both of you.” She wrapped her arms around Hermione’s neck, giving her a tight hug and Hermione returned the embrace. It felt so good to be held by a mother again. Molly Weasley was like a mother to her, yes, but there was a difference between your own mother and one that you considered a mother.

After she married Draco, Narcissa would be her mother-in-law. Hermione would be getting another mother. Not that anyone could ever replace her mother, but Hermione would cherish this relationship with Narcissa and for that, she squeezed the woman even tighter, tucking her nose into Narcissa’s neck.

The tears came unbidden yet again and Narcissa must have sensed them because she tightened her arms around Hermione’s neck, one hand dropping to rub her back gently in circles. “Shh, sweet girl. I’ve got you. You’re home now, my darling girl.” Narcissa continued to rub her back and play gently with the ends of her curls as Hermione cried her feelings out.

XxX

Draco sat in the armchair watching as his mother comforted Hermione, his own eyes misting over at the scene before him. He had never truly realized how hard it was for Hermione to be without her parents. He had hated Lucius, so his father being gone didn’t bother him in the slightest. But Hermione had had a very different childhood from his own, one full of love, and she’d been robbed of that by that maniac. Hermione pulled back from his mum and wiped her eyes dry and Draco smiled at his strong witch. Merlin, he loved her.

“Oh! Draco, I almost forgot your gift!” Narcissa said, rising from the settee once again to walk back to the tree, retrieving another box. She handed it over to him and he looked down at it surprised. His mother didn’t usually get him gifts. He removed the wrapping from the box and lifted the lid from the slender cardboard box. Inside was simply a piece of parchment and Draco looked at it confused. It was the deed to several properties in America, as well as a very large sum of money. “What is this, mum?”

“This is a manor in the United States. A branch of the Blacks broke off from England just as America was being discovered and went there. They eventually settled in Charleston, South Carolina. When I was young, I would go and visit Charles and Lydia during summer months. They never had any children, so they left their home, properties and inheritance to me. You are doing such beautiful work, my son. Those properties are just sitting there empty, being maintained by the house elves. Maybe you would work something out with MACUSA to have another safe house in America.” Narcissa lifted her eyes from the box in Draco’s hands to her son with a smile.

Draco didn’t know what to say, he’d never even heard of Charles and Lydia Black. But he hadn’t been drilled on the Black family lineage as much as he had the Malfoys. “Thank you, mum. This is brilliant, actually. MACUSA has safe houses all throughout the country, but not in the Charleston area. I’ll get this information to Elle.”

Narcissa dipped her head in a nod, “There is one thing I ask of you, though.” Draco tilted his head at his mother, but gestured for her to continue. “Please keep the main house for our use. I have so many good memories there and I would like to go back and visit some day.”

“Of course mum.” Draco smiled at her, rising from his chair to give her a hug, kissing her temple. “Thank you again, I love you.”

“I love you too, my precious boy. Now, I am going to retire for the evening. Congratulations you two. Hermione, I am so happy to have you in my family. I love you both.” Narcissa gave Hermione a hug once again, kissing her forehead. “You two have a good evening.” She gave her son a hug as well, kissing his cheeks before leaving the sitting room.

Draco turned to Hermione with a smile, “Hello, my fiancée, how has your Christmas been so far?”

He watched as Hermione slinked toward him, swaying her hips. She lifted her arms and draped them around his neck. “Well, my husband-to-be, it has been amazing, to say the least. One of my best Christmases in recent years. But you still have your Christmas present from me to unwrap.”

His brow shot up of his own accord as he looked down into those eyes that he could drown in. “Oh, is that so, future Mrs. Malfoy? And just where is this present of mine?” Hermione stepped up on her tiptoes, running her nose along his, licking his lips with her tongue.

“Why don’t you come catch me and find out?” She stepped out of his arms and darted out of his grasp and into the wide hallway. Draco laughed softly and ran out to follow her.

“You know that I’m going to catch you,” he called after her, watching as her hair flew out behind her as she ran. She wasn’t going very fast, so it wasn’t her intention to elude capture for very long. She didn’t know the layout of the house very well either, so she was heading away from his bedroom, but he’d lead her there eventually.

“If you plan on catching me, you’re going to have to be faster than that.” Hermione grinned at him and he took her momentary pause as an opportunity to jump at her, causing her to run the opposite way, in the direction of his room.

Draco grinned as he picked up his pace, running a little faster. When Hermione noticed, she squealed and began running on the balls of her feet in an effort to run faster. But Draco’s legs were longer than hers and he caught up to her easily, scooping her into his arms. “Gotcha.”

Hermione laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips finding his jaw. “So you did.” Draco started carrying her to his room, trying to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and not on her lips moving up to his earlobe. By the time he got to his door and turned the knob, he had a raging hard-on that had its own pulse.

He set Hermione on her feet and let his hands fall to her hips, grinning down at her. “Now, where’s my gift, woman?”

Hermione stepped back just a little and began playing with the top button on the blouse she was wearing. “Why don’t you unwrap me and find out?” Draco groaned as it dawned on him what his gift was. He stepped up to Hermione, his hands taking the place of hers. His fingers popped free the top button and then the next, revealing the swell of her breasts, pushed together by whatever she had on underneath.

As Draco parted more buttons, the green satin corset was revealed, with black lace accents all along the bodice, with hook and eye closures down the middle. When her shirt was completely open, he slid it off and stared at the black satin bow tied around her waist with a grin. “You really do look good in Slytherin colors.”

His fingers moved to the button on her muggle jeans and popped it free of its hole, tugging the zipper down next. Hermione’s fingers ran through his hair as she grinned at him, “I thought it might tickle your fancy.” Draco tugged her jeans down her hips and had to groan at the view. There were garter clips holding up sheer black thigh highs.

Hermione stepped out of her jeans and turned around. Draco’s knees nearly gave way at the sight of Hermione’s plump arse and the lace up corset back. As much as he loved Hermione naked, the only thing that he was taking off of her would be those little sheer knickers. The rest was just too sexy to take off of her body.

“Like what you see, handsome? I know I do.” Hermione reached her hand out, cupping his erection through his slacks and began to rub back and forth. He tightened his jaw and groaned as he backed her up to the bed.

“I most definitely like what I see.” With a gentle nudge, Hermione fell back on the bed. She scooted herself back and split her legs. He could already tell that the sheer fabric between her thighs was damp. Draco trailed his fingers up her thighs, trailing them under the edge of the corset, finding the elastic band of the knickers. “Not too fond of these, I hope?”

When Hermione pulled her lip between her teeth and shook her head, he smirked and wandlessly popped the elastic and pulled the now useless knickers free. He tossed the fabric over his shoulder and ran his hands up the insides of her thighs, spreading them wider. “So fucking beautiful, love.”

He moved up between Hermione’s legs, hovering over her body to kiss her deeply. Her fingers began to unbutton his shirt and he shrugged it off, tossing it to the floor. He reared up onto his knees and shed his trousers and briefs himself, coming back down for another kiss, his hand slipping between her thighs. She was hot and dripping wet, a moan leaving her lips as his finger circled her clit.

Hermione’s nails dug into his back as her hips bucked into his hand. His lips moved down her jaw, sucking at the skin as his fingers worked gently around her clit. “God, Draco.” Hermione’s voice was breathy as she squirmed under him on the bed. His lips trailed along the top of the corset, sucking at the skin, his teeth nipping at the supple flesh, making sure to leave behind love bites.

As the rest of her skin was covered, he skipped down her body, his hands trailing up her inner thighs, spreading her wide. Draco turned his nose against the smooth skin of her thigh and inhaled slowly as he skimmed it closer to her core. The closer he got, the stronger the scent of her arousal became. He licked his lips as he looked up Hermione’s body, to find her propped up on her elbows looking down at him. “I can’t wait until we’re married.”

Her voice was husky as she spoke and when Draco placed a kiss over her heated core, he spoke quietly. “I can’t wait either.” His tongue darted out and slipped between her folds, running up her center and circling around her clit. They both moaned and Draco’s eyes broke from Hermione’s, lids slamming shut as her taste assaulted his taste buds. He had kept his promise to her. She was still a virgin and would remain that way until they were married.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And here it is, the big idea that has been plaguing me and forcing me to write non-stop on this story. I really hope that it gives you the feels like it did me. Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

Christmas came and went, with Draco and Hermione spending most of their time with Narcissa. Now it was Thursday and they were getting ready to go and have Christmas with Harry and Ginny. “I don’t understand why I have to go. They’re your friends,” Draco said  from inside his closet as he was getting dressed.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she stuffed her feet into the trainers she had chosen. “Because, Draco, we’re getting married, and they’re going to be your friends as well. Besides, you gifted them with their honeymoon -- well, where they stayed, anyway. You went to school with both of them. It’s not like you’re strangers.”

She got up and walked into the closet, leaning against the doorframe as she watched Draco pull his trousers up over his arse. “I suppose you’re right.” He began flipping through the shirts hanging in the closet and Hermione walked up behind him, sliding under his outstretched arm.

“I’m always right, you should know that by now. How about this?” Hermione lifted the lone T-shirt in the sea of dress shirts. It was a faded blue and a little frayed around the edges, but it looked as if he had bought it that way.

Draco turned his nose up at it. “I’ve never actually worn it.”

Hermione raised her brow up at Draco, “Then why buy it? And you’re going to wear it today, put it on. We’re going to have to Muggle up your wardrobe a bit.” She pilfered through some of the clothing hanging on the rods, shaking her head. It was all suits, slacks and button-ups. He definitely needed a more casual wardrobe.

Behind her, Draco mumbled something she didn’t catch and she turned to look at him questioningly. “What was that?”

“Because I was hoping to impress you. By wearing fucking Muggle clothing. But I never got up the nerve to wear it.” He pulled the shirt over his head and Hermione bit her lip. The blue of the shirt brought out the grey in his eyes and made them seem even more intense. The sight sent her absolutely wet in the knickers. She absolutely couldn’t wait to marry him.

“Well, I am definitely impressed. Blue, particularly a pale blue like that, suits you. Now come on, we’re going to be late.” Hermione leaned up and gave Draco a kiss, leaving of the closet. She heard her fiancé groan behind her and she laughed softly.

Draco met her in the hallway, linking their fingers as they walked towards the travelling room to use the Floo. “Will you move in with me?”

Hermione paused, turning to look up at Draco, chewing on her bottom lip. She knew this question was coming up, especially since he’d proposed. At her hesitation, he added hurriedly, “Or I could move in with you at your flat if you wouldn’t be comfortable living here. Or if you want to wait until after the wedding, that’s fine too. You don’t have to answer right now. Just think about it.”

She nodded, squeezing his hand with a smile. “I do want to live with you, Draco. Obviously, I’m going to marry you. I promise to think about it.”

They arrived at the travelling room and Draco opened the door, kissing Hermione’s temple. “I love you.”

XxX

“Hermione!” As soon as they were through the Floo, the red-headed woman launched herself at Hermione and pulled her into a hug. Draco brushed off his clothes and looked up to meet Harry’s eyes. Harry held out his hand and Draco took it, giving it a shake. “Glad you could come, mate.”

Draco nodded at the wizard before him, pulling his hand back. “To be honest, she forced me. But I am glad I came.” When a squeal pierced their eardrums, both men grimaced and they turned to look at the women. Ginny had Hermione’s left hand in hers and was looking at her engagement ring. “Harry! Come look at this thing! Malfoy, is this real alexandrite?”

Harry looked at Draco and rolled his eyes. Draco nodded, “Yeah, Red, it is. Been in the family for about two centuries or so.”

Ginny returned to admire the ring on Hermione’s hand, murmuring things like, “Oh, he did good.” 

Harry pulled Draco away and poured them both some firewhiskey. Draco took a sip and closed his eyes, letting the burn slide down his throat. “I swear, women get so worked up over things like that. You should have seen the waterworks when I proposed to Gin. Hell, I thought she was going to say no.”

Draco chuckled softly, taking another sip of his drink. “Hermione didn’t cry much. But I do have to say it was one of the best days of my life.”

The bespectacled wizard next to him nodded. “I have to agree with you there. But the day we got married -- that by far was the best day of my life.” Draco watched as those green eyes travelled over to the redhead. In just a few minutes of conversation with Harry, Draco had realized that he actually could be friends with Harry. He’d just been a prat when they’d been at school.

“Okay, let’s eat!” Ginny called out, heading into the kitchen to begin levitating the meal to the table, Hermione following to help her. The two wizards walked over to the table after refilling their glasses. Harry pointed out Draco’s seat and Draco nodded, pulling out Hermione’s chair for her. Once she sat down and he helped her scoot closer to the table, he took his own seat.

They had just started eating when Draco’s mobile phone started to ring in his pocket and simultaneously a silver fox patronus burst into the living room. Draco answered the phone with a gruff “Hello.” He listened to the voice on the other end -- his head of security. The same message was echoed by the patronus in the room talking to Harry. There was a disturbance at the house in Turkey where the Blackwell family had been placed. It looked like Christmas dinner was cancelled.

XxX

Draco and Harry had tried to make Hermione stay behind with Ginny. But she was a trained Auror as well and there was no way she was staying behind, not on this case. Those two children had stolen her heart and she was going to make sure they were safe. They wouldn’t know for sure until they arrived whether it was Harrison Blackwell and his children who were in danger.

Harry’s Floo was set up to connect to  the international network, so they immediately took it to the Turkish Ministry and Draco apparated them from there directly to the house. The security team and other Aurors were already present and had control of the situation. A woman was bound in rope and being guarded by multiple aurors, a Silencio having been placed on her, dampening her screams and cursing. Her blonde hair was askew from its updo and her mascara was running down her cheeks.

Hermione frowned. From this distance, the woman looked familiar. But before she could place the woman, Ron pulled Hermione’s attention away from the bound woman. Harry and Draco were already standing with Ron. As Hermione walked closer to the group of Aurors and Draco, she noticed a pair of feet sticking out of the circle of people.

They were a male's feet, and they weren’t standing at attention; they were laying lax, the toes pointing out to the side, instead of straight up. The closer she got to the group, the more the sense of dread settled into her stomach. She knew those worn dragonhide shoes -- the scuff marks were in the same places. “No. No, no, no.”

She reached Draco, her hand immediately linking with his as her eyes travelled up the body on the ground. Just as she got to the face, her eyes filled with tears, clouding her vision. Through her wavering sight, she could see those green eyes that she had looked into staring emptily up into the sky.

Evangeline had found Harrison and the kids. She must have snapped when he had finally left and took the kids with him.

Draco put his arm around her, holding her steady. Hermione had started shaking and she turned her face into his chest. They had to come up with a way for these houses to be more safe. Hermione’s tears were soaking into Draco’s T-shirt as she listened to the retelling of what had happened before they arrived.

Someone transfigured a sheet to place over Harrison’s body and Harry left to go and talk to Evangeline while Draco led Hermione away from where the dead wizard lay. “Are you alright, love?”

Hermione shook her head, putting her hands over her face. “Draco, those poor kids. The only person to love them is gone.” Draco put his arms around her, kissing the top of her head, and pulled her into his chest.

A screeching voice rang out through the brightly lit square. “I WILL ONLY TALK TO DRACO MALFOY!”

They both turned to look in the direction of the woman and Harry. The silencing spell had been removed from her and she was now screaming again, her eyes locked on Draco and Hermione. Draco looked down at Hermione, confusion etched across his features. The scream flew across the courtyard again. “NO, I WILL ONLY TALK TO DRACO MALFOY!”

Harry caught their gaze and gave Draco a pleading look. Draco looked down at Hermione once again. “We better go over there. Harry’s not going to get anywhere with her.”

They linked fingers and began to close the distance between them and Harry. As they drew closer, Draco stumbled next to her, coming to a stop. Hermione, who had been looking at Harry, looked up at Draco, confused. He was as pale as a sheet and shaking like a leaf. “Draco? What is it?”

His eyes were locked on the sight across the way, where Harry was standing, and Hermione followed his line of sight. He was staring at Evangeline Blackwell. When Hermione’s eyes finally landed on the woman and got a close-up view, she knew why he had stopped.

“Funny, isn’t it?” The woman sneered at Draco and it made Hermione’s skin crawl to see it. She remembered that sneer so very well. But not on the face of this woman. “I look just like him, don’t I?”

Hermione heard Draco swallow, his fingers squeezing hers so tightly it hurt. She couldn’t tell him to stop, though, he needed her support right now. She squeezed back, letting him know she was here for him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he finally answered her, his jaw and body rigid.

“Oh, but you do, dear Draco. I look just like him, my mother told me that up until she died. Even I saw it when he would come and visit for months at a time.” At Draco’s bug eyed expression, an evil laugh came from Evangeline.

“That’s right, all those months you and mummy dearest thought he was off doing the Dark Lord’s bidding, he was with my mum and me. So, dear brother, do you want to believe me now?” That evil sneer that looked so like Lucius Malfoy’s filled her face yet again and as the truth hit everyone’s ears, there was a chorus of gasps. Draco was the one shaking now, his grip bending the bones in Hermione’s hand.

She knew he couldn’t deny the truth. It was sitting right in front of him. Evangeline hadn’t been lying when she said that she looked just like Lucius. She looked just like Draco too, right down to the grey eyes.

“Why did you kill your husband?” Draco asked her, clearly avoiding giving into her taunting.

An evil cackle left her lips as she looked over at the covered body of her husband. “He thought he could leave me and take our children. He could never hide from me. Now, where are Tobias and Tabi? I want to see my babies.” She looked back and forth between all the witches and wizards surrounding her.

“Are you mental?” Hermione asked, her voice rising an octave. “You honestly think we’d let you see them? They’re terrified of you already, not to mention you just killed the only person that loved and cared for them.”

The glare turned toward Hermione gave new meaning to the phrase ‘if looks could kill.’ “I LOVE MY CHILDREN! LET ME SEE MY CHILDREN! I WANT TO SEE MY CHILDREN!” 

Hermione recast the silencing spell on Evangeline and glared right back, her eyes narrowing. Her voice was quiet and almost deathly calm as she spoke. “You will never see those children again. You will spend the rest of your days rotting in Azkaban. Those children will have a better life than you could ever give them.”

This infuriated Evangeline. She started yelling silently until she was purple in the face. Harry looked up at Ron and nodded. “Take her away. We have to go and talk to the children. Hermione, Draco, I want you both to come since you have both previously interacted with the children. Hermione, I remember you saying they were rather skittish.”

Hermione nodded softly, glancing up to check on Draco. He was watching as Evangeline was grabbed up by two Aurors and Apparated away. This night had gone to hell in a handbasket really quickly. Not only had he found out he had a sister, he also had a niece and nephew inside that house who were now orphans for all intents and purposes.

Once Evangeline was out of sight, Draco snapped out of his trance and into action once again,l. “Yes, of course. Let’s go.”

XxX

Draco led the way into the house, having been here before. The matron rushed out of her office to greet Draco, talking in a rush in Turkish. Draco quickly explained the situation to her, sticking to her native tongue in case the children were within hearing distance. Children...his nephew and niece. Bloody fucking hell. He felt like his head had been stuck into a blender.

The matron switched to English in deference to Hermione and Harry. “The children are this way.” Her accent was heavy, but easy to understand. She turned her back on them and led them into her office.

The two blonde children -- he was still having trouble identifying them as his blood family -- were huddled together on the couch. Their eyes were wide with terror and they were shaking. But upon seeing Draco and even Hermione, they visibly relaxed just a little. “Hello Tobias and Tabitha. Do you remember us?”

Tobias nodded and Draco watched his little throat bob as he swallowed. “Yes, you're Draco. And she's Miss Herminny. You helped us get away from mummy.”

Draco looked back at Hermione and suppressed a chuckle. “That's right, buddy, we did.”

Tobias frowned and held his sister tighter, “But mummy found us. Where is daddy?” His lip started to tremble as he looked frantically around at the adults in the room. “Daddy? Daddy! Where is he?”

Draco’s heart seized in his chest. How in the hell was he supposed to tell this little boy and his sister that their father was dead?

Hermione moved in and sat down on the couch. She patted her lap and Tabitha crawled into it readily. Hermione wrapped her arms around the little girl, tears already coating her lashes. She then patted the spot right next to her and Tobias scooted over, cuddling into her side. She pulled him close and gave him a sad smile.

Draco and Hermione both knew their family history from front to back. It was all in the paperwork that Harrison had filled out, though he hadn’t known who Evangeline’s father was. They knew that Harrison’s mother had recently passed just a couple of months ago. Draco just knew the route Hermione was going to take -- it was written all over her features.

“Do you two remember, just a while ago, when your Daddy told you about your grandma?” Hermione asked, looking down at Tobias, the one most likely to remember.

He frowned for a moment, “You mean Nana Flora?”

Hermione nodded, giving Tobias an encouraging smile, “Yes, your Nana Flora. What did your Daddy tell you?”

“He, um...he said that Nana Flora went to a better place and that we wouldn't be seeing her anymore, for a really long time. But that one day, we would see her again. And then she was laying in a fancy box. She looked like she was sleeping and we put her with Grampy Hubert. But what does that have to do with my daddy?” he asked, looking over at Draco.

Draco swallowed thickly, looking Tobias right in his green eyes, so like Harrison’s. “Your daddy has gone to a better place to be with Nana Flora and Grampy Hubert.”

Tobias started to breathe fast, his eyes filling with tears as he stared at Draco. He started to shake his head as he began to understand what Draco was telling him -- that he would never see his father again. “No! You're lying!” He launched himself from the couch at Draco, knocking Draco on his arse and hitting his little fists into Draco’s chest. Draco just wrapped his arms around Tobias and hugged him tight.

Tobias eventually gave up and sagged in Draco’s arms, sobbing into his chest. Draco rubbed his back in slow circles as he looked over Tobias’ head at Hermione. She was holding a cried out and sleeping Tabitha, and then, with their eyes connected, a silent accord was reached between the both of them. These children were not going to be put into the foster care system. These children were going to be adopted by them. No matter what legal hoops they had to jump through. They were his nephew and niece, his family, his blood. And he’d be damned if anyone took them away from him.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here it is, finally! The latest chapter of our lovely Say You Won't Let Go. I really and truly hope you enjoy this chapter. Please, let me know what you think about it. I'm excited for y'all to see what is going on with our two love birds.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. JK is queen.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

The trial for Evangeline Blackwell was a quick one. She had, after all, killed her husband in front of witnesses. Draco and Hermione sat in on the proceedings, watching the entire process. Hermione’s eyes kept straying to the children. She couldn’t believe that the Wizengamot required their presence. Tobias and Tabitha weren’t even eyewitnesses to the crime. Poor little Tabitha was sobbing next to some Ministry caseworker and trying to climb into her brother’s lap. But the caseworker wouldn’t let her budge from her chair.

The baby was clearly terrified, being in such close quarters with her mother. Tobias was staring at his mother, hurt and anger in his eyes. Hermione had the feeling that he knew his mother had killed his father.

The Wizengamot found Evangeline obviously guilty, sentencing her to life in prison and the Dementor’s kiss. They had had to put a silencing spell on Evangeline to keep her from screaming for her children. The caseworker took the children away the moment the trial ended, leaving a pain in Hermione’s heart. “Draco, we have to do something, now. I can’t stand those kids being in Ministry custody.”

Draco put his arm around Hermione’s waist as they stood, his fingers caressing her side. “I know, love. We’ll go down to Family Affairs now. Evangeline’s sentence will have already been logged. Her true parentage will also have been revealed when she was brought in. It won’t be hard to prove that I am the closest living relative.” Hermione nodded, leaning into Draco as various witches and wizards brushed past them. Several looked in their direction, giving them strange looks as if they had caught onto the conversation Draco and Hermione were having.

Once the courtroom was mostly empty, Hermione broke away from Draco and led the way to the exit. It was easier for her to lead Draco through the Ministry halls, as she walked them every day. Draco’s fingers laced with hers, as if he could feel her anxiety. Hermione’s hands were sweating as they went through the dark-walled halls. “Are you sure it’s going to be that easy?”

“No, it likely won’t be. But we have to get started on the process as soon as possible. I don’t want them in the custody of the Ministry any longer than they have to be. Tabitha was terrified, did you see that the Ministry hag wouldn’t let her go to her brother?” Draco asked, clearly incensed as well that Tabitha had been scared.

They had arrived at the Family Affairs office and as Hermione’s nerves flared, she began chewing on her bottom lip. She pulled Draco to a stop, before he could open the door. “We want to adopt them, don’t we? Make them ours, not just foster them?”

Draco lifted his hand and cradled her cheek, his thumb stroking along the apple of her cheek. “We are going to make them ours. We’ll give them the Malfoy name. We’ll give them a loving and caring mother and a father figure who won’t get murdered by a psychopathic witch.”

Hermione was smiling as she leaned into Draco’s hand. Her smile turned into laughter when he finished speaking. “I’m sorry, it’s not funny. It’s not, but I can’t stop.” Hermione’s laughter switched into hysterical giggles, which dissolved into sobs, and Draco’s arms enveloped her as she cried.

“We will figure this out. No amount of money will keep us from them. Come on, love.” Draco took her hand and opened the door, leading her in. The office was alive with activity, people and interdepartmental memos buzzing around the rather large space. No one seemed to be paying attention to them until a voice caught Hermione’s attention. “Hermione?”

Hermione turned to look at Cho Chang with a smile. “Hello, Cho.”

“What brings you to my neck of the woods?” Cho asked, crossing the office to stand in front of Draco and Hermione. Hermione looked up at her fiancé with a nervous smile before turning to look back at Cho. “I’m sure you’ve not only heard about but also have seen the paperwork for Evangeline Blackwell as well as for her children.”

Understanding dawned on Cho’s face and she gestured toward an unmarked office. “Why don’t we go in and sit down?” Hermione nodded, gripping Draco’s hand tightly as they followed Cho into the office, Draco shutting the door behind them. The lock engaged and Hermione could feel the silencing charm taking effect as well and she threw a grateful glance to Cho.

“I filed the paperwork myself on not only the children, but Evangeline’s as well. So I know that she is your half-sister, Mr. Malfoy.”

“Please, call me Draco,” Draco said, his arm draping around Hermione’s shoulders, rubbing her arm. “In filing that paperwork, I’m sure you saw that the children are also essentially orphans as well?” he asked, his grey gaze penetrating as he looked at Cho.

The beautiful Asian woman nodded at him. “I did indeed, Draco. Am I correct in assuming that you two are looking to take the kids in, in place of foster care?” Hermione sat up quickly. “Adopt, not just take in. We want to adopt them.” 

Draco pulled Hermione back in her seat, kissing her temple with a soft chuckle. “Easy, love. But yes, Hermione is correct. We want to adopt them, not just take them in. I am their next of kin, that much Hermione and I have figured out for ourselves. We want no more harm to ever come to them and the only way we can ensure that is to have them in our custody. We just need to know what it would take to make that happen. What steps, policies or procedures we’d need to follow to make it a reality,” Draco said, occasionally glancing over at Hermione, who gave him a reassuring smile.

Cho nodded after Draco had finished speaking, but remained silent as she processed what he had said. Hermione could tell she was going through the policies of adoption in her mind. “I will definitely look into it for you. I don’t think it will be much of a problem in the familial aspect of it. You have the right to adopt them, Draco. However, the only problem I can foresee that might stall you is that the two of you are not married, and that may prevent Hermione from adopting them right away.”

An involuntary whimper left Hermione’s lips, her eyes filling with tears, “Then we’ll get married. Tomorrow if we have to, I don’t care. Those babies deserve a loving family and home. If I have to sacrifice my so-called dream wedding, then so be it. They need to be happier than I do.” She felt Draco rubbing her arm again and she closed her eyes, focusing on that calming sensation. “How quickly can you get started on the adoption process, Cho?”

Hermione opened her eyes, looking at her friend. Cho answered, “I need the rest of the day to look over their paperwork and make sure everything is in order and then I can start the process tomorrow. But, to be on the safe side, you two--”

“Need to get married as soon as possible. That is our next stop,” Hermione said with confidence, grabbing Draco’s hand, pulling it over her head and standing. “Owl us if you need anything -- we’ll be at the Manor, but for the next thirty minutes, we’ll be in Kingsley’s office. Come on, Draco.”

XxX

Hermione was a woman on a mission. She was all but dragging Draco through the Ministry, taking him through shortcuts on the way to Kingsley’s office. “Hermione, would you slow down?” She didn’t listen, just kept walking at a brisk pace.

Draco hated to use force, but he jerked back, pulling her against him. “Hermione, stop!” She turned to face him, fury in her eyes as she looked up at him. Her fingers ripped free of his, those hands of hers moving to her hips.

“Why? We need to get to Kingsley’s office so that we can get married, now. Those kids need to be out of Ministry custody as soon as possible. Into our arms. And if there is the tiniest possibility that our not being wed will prevent that, I am willing to give up everything I ever wanted, including the wedding I have planned since I was a young girl. Now let’s go. We’ll call your mother from Kingsley’s office.” Hermione started walking again and Draco followed her, a smirk on his face. This was why he loved this witch. She was fierce, determined and selfless.

They arrived at Kingsley’s office minutes later and Hermione marched right past his secretary and knocked on the closed door. Kingsley’s voice was muffled on the other side. “Enter.”

Hermione opened the door and stomped in, her hands slapping down onto the surface as she leaned over. “I need you to marry us. Now.” The Minister of Magic looked up from the stack of paperwork with surprise on his face.

“You need me to do what?” he asked quietly, looking back and forth between Hermione and Draco. His brows rose toward the periwinkle blue hat sitting on his head.

“You heard me, Kingsley. I need you to marry us now. Draco, call your mother. Kingsley’s fireplace is already set up to the manor anyway.” Hermione started to move around Kingsley’s office as if she owned the place, opening filing cabinets, pulling files free and sitting them on top of Kingsley’s already mountainous stack of paperwork.

“Hermione, dear, you’re not one to make rash decisions. Are you sure you want to do this?” Kingsley asked, looking down at the marriage certificate and license.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my entire life, Kingsley. Besides, I’m not doing this just for me.” Hermione looked back at Draco with a smile. “We’re already engaged anyway. While this is happening sooner than I had planned, I wouldn’t trade it to give those kids the life they deserve.”

A frown furrowed Kingsley’s brow. “Kids? What kids?”

Hermione smacked her forehead, “Oh dear, I assumed you knew. Well, I’ll explain, but first, Draco needs to get Narcissa here. We need to explain this to her as well. This has all happened rather fast for all of us.”

His witch was right -- this had all been a rather quick process. Evangeline had been apprehended Thursday night, the evidence and everything had been processed Friday and the trial had been today, Monday. There was no need for anything to be drawn out; it was an open and shut case. She had been witnessed killing her husband by multiple people.

Draco walked over to the Minister’s fireplace and debated whether or not to fire call or just Floo over. It would probably be quickest to just Floo over and locate his mother, he decided. She wasn't likely to be in the room with the active fireplace. He turned to Hermione and smiled at her. “I’ll be right back, love. I’m going to Floo over and get her.”

Hermione gave him a smile, but continued moving around Kingsley’s office, pulling things out of drawers and placing it on Kingsley’s desk. Draco grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace, calling out “Malfoy Manor.”

In a few moments, he stepped out of the fireplace and moved through the mansion to find his mum. After searching for a while, he found her in the gardens tending to a bed of flowers, dirty work gloves on her hands. She always found it relaxing to work the garden manually. Draco stood back and watched her for a couple of minutes with a smile on his face before clearing his throat to alert her to his presence.

His mum turned to look at him with a smile, dirt on her brow. “Draco, darling! How are you? I haven’t seen you since Christmas.” She removed her gloves, setting them next to her trowel.

“I’m fine, mum. I know. Things got rather busy just after Christmas. We had an attack on a house in Turkey. One of the residents was killed by his estranged, abusive wife. Can you come with me to the Ministry, Mum?” Draco asked. He didn’t want to reveal the why, just yet. But he knew his mother would ask.

“Whatever for, darling?” Narcissa asked, standing to her feet and using her wand to cast a quick cleaning spell on herself. Draco smiled as his mother once again turned immaculate.

“I wanted to surprise Hermione for lunch. I thought that it might be nice if you came along,” Draco smiled softly, hoping his mother wouldn’t catch him in his lie. She usually saw right through his lies, but today, she seemed to buy it.

She smiled at him and waved her wand to banish her gardening tools to their proper places. “Of course! I’d love to have lunch with you two. Are we leaving now?” Draco nodded and offered his arm to his mother. She took it with a smile and he lead her back through the manor to the fireplace.

“We’re going through to the Minister’s office though. I don’t want to run the risk of meeting her before we get to her office.” His mother gave him a narrowed glance at that, but agreed. Draco went first, calling out for the Minister of Magic’s office.

When Draco stepped through, he brushed off his clothes and quickly told Hermione, “She may get right pissed when she sees you here already. I told her we were surprising you for lunch and that we were coming through the Minister’s office so as not to run into you on the way.”

Hermione simply laughed from the seat she had assumed in front of Kingsley’s desk, the dark-skinned man chuckling as well from behind his desk. The fireplace roared and turned emerald just as Narcissa stepped out. She blinked her blue eyes clear and widened them when she saw Hermione sitting there. “Draco Lucius Malfoy. You lied to your mother.”

Draco’s ears turned hot and pink and he nodded. “Yes, Mum. I did and I am sorry. But please, take a seat. Hermione and I have some things we need to explain to you and to the Minister as well.” Narcissa tilted her head at her son and took the remaining chair next to Hermione, giving her future daughter in law a warm smile, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze.

Harry burst into the office, out of breath, hair all over the place and pushing his glasses up on his nose, “I’m here! I’m here!”

Hermione laughed and Draco gave her an inquisitive look. “I wanted him here. He’s my family.” Draco nodded at Hermione and then turned to address the room as Harry leaned against a bookshelf to listen, already knowing what was going on.

“Mother, I just mentioned to you at the house about the woman who killed her husband at the Turkey house. Minister, you know this woman as Evangeline Blackwell. She was just tried and convicted this morning of murder and child endangerment.” When Draco paused, both of the older adults he had addressed nodded their assent. “What you both do not know -- what we all did not know until Hermione, Harry, the aurors and I showed up at the Turkey house and apprehended her -- was that she is the illegitimate daughter of her mother, Wilhelmina Greengrass, and my father, Lucius Malfoy.”

Narcissa took in a shocked gasp. The sound resounding in the room, echoing throughout. It was an almost pained sound and it speared Draco right through the heart. He looked at his mother apologetically, a sadness in his eyes as he nodded. “I’m sorry, Mum. We knew that Lucius was an abusive arsehole, but this takes him to a whole new level.”

Kingsley just shook his head as he looked between Hermione and Draco. “So this means that the children, the boy and girl, are your nephew and niece?”

Draco nodded, but Hermione spoke. “Yes, and as Harrison is dead, Evangeline will suffer the Kiss and be in Azkaban for life. The children have no one. All of their grandparents are dead. Harrison was an only child and Draco is Evangeline’s only sibling. We want to adopt the children. We have already talked to Cho down in Family Affairs. She is getting everything started and it should be ready by tomorrow. She thinks that the only possible bump in the road may be that we would have problems adopting them as a family because Draco and I are not married.

“Draco would have no problem, because he is their blood relative, but I am not. Cho wasn’t for sure if our not being wed would be an issue or not. She was going to look into it, but we didn’t want to take that risk. So that is why we are here. Kingsley is going to marry us. As Minister, it is well within his rights, as he’d have to sign off on the license and certificate anyway.” Hermione finished, looking back at Draco with a grin.

Kingsley laughed and shook his head, about to open his mouth and respond when an interdepartmental memo flew in and landed in Hermione’s lap. She opened it and read through it quickly, giving the piece of parchment a curt nod and folding it up. “Right, Cho said that we would definitely have to be wed. Also, she said that if we get married today, we could have the children home with us tonight. She’s already gotten the paperwork filled out, it just needs to be signed. I love magical filing systems. Kingsley, if you would, please.”

The Minister shook his head once again, obviously realizing he wasn’t going to get a say in this. “Very well then. Everyone on their feet, please.”

They moved into an open part of his large office, Draco and Hermione facing each other in front of him, holding hands. Narcissa was standing behind Draco and Harry behind Hermione. It was unorthodox, to say the least, but Draco and Hermione didn’t care at the moment. The most important thing to them right now was those kids.

“We’re gathered here today, blah blah, joining these two, blah blah...I don’t do weddings, blah blah. Hermione, vows.” Kingsley stated, chuckling softly.

The five of them all burst into laughter, eyes watering at the hilarity of this wedding, but they all calmed down and Hermione took a deep breath, her eyes connecting with Draco’s, and he felt his heart clench. “Draco, you came into my life when I felt like it was falling apart. You held me together. I’ve had a certain ideal that I’ve wanted to uphold my entire life and you understood and respected it. Which means more to me than you could ever know. I love you, so very much. I love that we are both of a like mind on this situation. It is the right thing to do and it has made me fall even more in love with you. I am so happy to be your wife.”

Draco brought her hands up to his mouth and kissed Hermione’s knuckles. While Kingsley’s deep voice filled the room once again. “Draco, your vows, please.”

“Hermione, these past few months with you have been some of the best in my life. We’ve made such differences in the wizarding world, and know that I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your brilliant mind. And that was all before I was willing to admit that I loved you. But I have loved you for a very long time, and I will continue to love you until we’re gray and old. Until we’re ghosts. I’m so in love with you, and just look how we’ve grown. We're willing to sacrifice everything we could have for these kids. I love you so damn much. I can’t believe I get to be your husband.”

Kingsley looked around his office. “Any objections? No? Good. Do you, Draco, take Hermione to be your wife?”

“I do,” Draco answered, his voice strong and sure, his grip tightening on Hermione’s fingers. 

Kingsley repeated the sentence again, this time to Hermione. “Do you, Hermione, take Draco to be your husband?”

Hermione beamed up at Draco. “I absolutely do.”

“Do you wish to be bound?” Kingsley asked the two of them. Draco looked down at Hermione. They had talked about this before, in one of their late night chats, but they hadn’t yet made a decision on what they wanted to do. However, it was now or never. As one, they both nodded at Kingsley. “Hermione, place your left hand over Draco’s heart. Draco, you do the same to Hermione.”

Both of them complied, eyes locked on one another as Kingsley began to perform the complex spell. Draco felt a warmth suffuse his body, a warm light filling him up from the inside, his magic swirling and reaching from his body. He felt it brush along Hermione’s magic, twining together, becoming one.

When the ritual was done, Draco could feel Hermione’s magic just as he could feel his own. It was a strange but welcome feeling and he smiled at Hermione. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Draco, you may kiss your bride.”

Draco pulled Hermione closer and leaned down to kiss her deeply. Hermione’s arms wrapped around his neck as they kissed. When they pulled apart, Kingsley had already signed the paperwork and was magically filing it away. The record was immediately added to the system; they would have no issues now. “Thank you, Minister,” Draco said, moving to shake the man’s hand.

Kingsley gave him a curt nod and turned to Hermione, “I would do anything for you, Hermione. As witnessed by what just happened. You are doing a great thing by adopting those kids. Now go ahead and get those kids home.”

Hermione gave Kingsley a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you so much for doing this for me, Kingsley. You don’t know how much this means to me, to us.” Hermione turned back to Draco, who was standing next to his mother and nodded at him.

Draco turned to his mother and nodded with a smile, “Mum, why don’t you go home and ready two of the rooms closest to my room? Perhaps the two with the connecting bathroom?” 

Narcissa still looked nervous and shell shocked, but she nodded. “Absolutely, darling. I’ll go right now and the house elves and I will get on that. Should I send an elf or two to your flat, Hermione, dear, to pack your things up and move them in?”

His new wife just shook her head with a smile. “Not everything, no. But perhaps my clothes? Draco and I can go back for the rest later. Thank you. But Draco, we really must go.” Hermione leaned over to kiss Narcissa on the cheek and then grabbed Draco’s hand, pulling him from Kingsley’s office.

They were both sprinting through the nearly empty Ministry back to the Family Affairs office. When they rushed through the doors, Cho was waiting on them, papers in hand. “Hey guys, let’s get these papers signed.” She set them down on the nearest desk and fanned them out. Hermione and Draco pulled out their wands, magically signing their names.

Cho filed the parchment immediately, making Draco and Hermione the legal guardians and parents of Tobias and Tabitha, formerly Blackwell, now Malfoy. “Where are they?” Hermione asked, her voice pleading. Cho smiled at her and pointed in the direction of the office they had occupied earlier. Hermione looked up at Draco with a nervous smile and tears in her eyes.

Draco grabbed her hand and led her to the office where the door was shut. With his hand on the handle, he turned to look back at Hermione. “You ready?” Hermione nodded at him with a smile. He turned the handle and pushed the door open. Tabitha was sitting at the small table in the corner, coloring on a sheet of parchment. Tobias was sitting next to her, handing her each crayon as she asked.

When they heard the door open, they looked up from what they were doing. “Mr. Draco? Mrs. Hermione?” Tobias asked with a smile. 

Draco and Hermione moved further into the room, smiles on their faces. “Hey kids.” Draco said softly, moving to crouch down in front of them. “How are you doing today?”

Tabitha made a face and went back to drawing on her paper. Draco chuckled softly, “Yeah, it’s been a bad day, hasn’t it? Tobias, what about you?” 

The boy looked off into the distance, a frown appearing on his face, “Mum is going to prison, right? For making Dad go to a better place?”

Hermione nodded, moving close to Tobias and running her fingers through his hair, “Yes, sweetheart, she is.”

Tobias’ frown deepened as he let that sink in. “But where are we going to live, then?” At that, Tabitha looked up at her brother, obviously curious as to the answer of that question as well. Draco looked over at Hermione with a smile, then back at the children. “How would you like to come and live with us?”

Hermione continued to run her fingers through Tobias’ hair and he turned to look up at her. She smiled at him as he asked her, “For reals?” 

Hermione nodded, leaning in to kiss his forehead, “For reals and forever. If that is what you would like.”

The young boy turned to look at his sister, “Tabby? You want to go live with them?”

Tabitha nodded, her hair bouncing with the action. “They nice.”

Hermione’s beaming smile turned toward Draco and he grinned right back. “Well, we can get your things from Miss Chang and be on our way then. We already signed the necessary paperwork. You guys ready?”

Tabitha got up, leaving her drawing where it was and held her arms up to Draco. “Up, please.” Who was Draco to refuse? He bent down and lifted the little girl into his arms. Her small arms wrapped around his neck and squeezed as they left the room. Draco looked back to see Hermione holding Tobias’ hand, the little boy looking up at Hermione and talking to her quietly. His whole world had changed in a matter of a week and yet, he wouldn’t have given it away for any amount of money in the world. It was time to take his family home.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is it! The chapter you've all been waiting for! But before we get to the popping of Hermione's cherry, first we have some new family bonding time. There are some ups and downs, some smiles, laughs and tears in this chapter, as well as the smut. This chapter was well over 6K words. The largest chapter I have ever written and I couldn't be more proud of myself. I hope to continue to crank out large chapters like this. I believe this story though is getting close to its close. And that makes me so very sad. This story is my baby.
> 
> So, I told myself that I wouldn't do any more fests/comps for a while and I couldn't remain strong. I gave in and signed up for a new fest, so you'll be able to see that in a few months time!
> 
> Now, without further adieu, I present to you, chapter 22.
> 
> OH! One more thing...  
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

Draco apparated the four of them to the manor, and Hermione set Tobias on his feet. The little boy looked around the foyer, his eyes widening at the vastness of it. Hermione couldn’t help but chuckle quietly and ruffle his hair. “It’s a bit grand, isn’t it, Tobias? You and I will have to get used to it together. Are you hungry?”

“Yes, I’m very hungry.” Tobias looked up at Hermione, his blue-grey eyes shining at her. “Can we have blueberry pancakes?” Hermione smiled down at him and glanced over at Draco, who still held Tabitha.

Draco gave her a nod and looked at Tabby. “What do you think, Princess? Blueberry pancakes for dinner?” The little curly headed girl nodded with a grin, sticking her middle and ring fingers into her mouth. Hermione grinned at the cute little girl, bringing her hand up to run it down the little girl's cheek.

“Then that’s what we’ll have, sweetheart. And though the elves may have a stroke, I’ll cook them myself. Draco, darling, show us to the kitchens,” Hermione said with a grin, looking up at her husband. He was looking down at her incredulously, as if she had suggested that he apparate them into the Queen’s study.

Draco’s eyebrows had disappeared into his hair. “Hermione, the elves will go ballistic. They’ll be ironing their hands.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and grinned wickedly. “You pay them. And you can order them out of the kitchen. Well, actually, I can, now that I am Mrs. Malfoy.”

Draco sighed in defeat and hitched Tabitha higher in his arms. “Fine, this way.”

He lead the way to the kitchens, opening the plain double doors. The elves stopped in mid-task to look up. “Master Draco?” Wilky asked, stepping forward. “You needs food? For the young Master and Mistress?”

“Actually, Wilky, I would like to use your kitchen to make the kids pancakes, if you wouldn’t mind.” Hermione said, with a kind smile, hoping that she didn't have to resort to ordering the elves from their work space.

The six little creatures widened their orb-like eyes, their little bodies starting to tremble at the thought of their mistress doing any physical labor that they normally handled. Hermione stepped in, however. “I'll leave all the cleaning up for you, if that would make you feel better.”

That seemed to ease the elves’ anxiety and Wilky nodded uncertainly. “Whatever Mistress Hermione asks. We leave now.” Wilky looked around at the other elves and started giving them instructions on where to go and what to do. One by one they all disappeared with a pop and Wilky turned back to the new family. “Wilky is happy you is here, Master Tobias and Missy Tabitha.” Then she disappeared with a pop and Tabitha giggled.

“Well, that went better than I thought.” Draco said dryly, setting Tabitha on a barstool, standing behind her so that she didn't fall. The action was insanely adorable. Hell, just seeing Draco interact with Tabitha and Tobias was adorable. Not to mention sexy as fuck. That was when it hit Hermione that this was technically her wedding night. She started rummaging through the cupboards to hide her blush, her nerves beginning to set up shop, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

After all, this night was one she had dreamt about since she had learned what sex was -- and increasingly so since she and Draco had begun their exploration of each other. But now that it was here, she was nervous. Hermione thought that she would have had more time. They had only just gotten engaged a few days ago.

But when it had come to those children, any plans they had thought they were going to make had went out the window. Hermione didn't have any regrets, however. Sure, it wasn't how she'd planned out her life. She'd never imagined becoming a wife and mother on the same day, in the same hour. Their lives were going to be challenging, getting used to being married and learning the kids’ likes and dislikes. But she wouldn't trade it for the world.

Finally gathering all the necessary supplies, Hermione returned to the center island and grinned at her new family. Tobias had climbed up on a stool and was watching eagerly as Hermione began mixing everything by hand. “Why aren't you using magic?” he asked.

“Because this was how I learned to make them,” Hermione said, but when Tobias threw her a confused look, she smiled softly and continued. “My parents were Muggles. They went to a better place too, like your daddy.”

Tobias nodded, his shoulders slumping a little at the mention of his dad. “What do we call you now?” Clearly he was unafraid to ask the hard questions.

Hermione looked to Draco for guidance, because she had no idea. His wide eyes suggested he hadn’t a clue either, but he did his best to answer anyway. “Well, Tobias, we are your legal guardians. Which means we are sort of like parents. You'll live with us forever. Well, until you're an adult anyway and feel comfortable enough to move out on your own. So you can call us whatever you'd like. You can call me Draco or D. But I am also your mum’s brother, so you can also call me Uncle Draco or Uncle D.”

Tobias gave a curt nod, then turned his gaze to Hermione’s hand, watching as she stirred the blueberries into the batter. “She wasn't a good mum. She was mean. Not like the mums in the books dad read to us. She didn't make pancakes for us. Can I call you mum?”

Tobias looked up at Hermione as he finished speaking. She had already been tearing up as he talked, but when he asked her that question, the tears broke free and her whole world had stopped. “Of course you can, sweet Prince. You can call me whatever you like.”

Another of those curt nods and he looked back up at Draco, his blue-grey eyes holding many different swirling emotions as he contemplated things no six year old should ever have to. “We don't have a dad no more, either. But he’ll always be our dad.”

Draco began to nod, his hand rubbing Tabitha’s back almost automatically. “Absolutely, buddy. He will always be your dad. He will always be with you in your heart. And I will never try and replace him. I am here for anything you will ever need. But just because you call Hermione ‘mum’ don't feel pressured to call me dad, okay?”

Tobias took in a deep breath as those eyes locked onto Draco’s, the two boys staring at each other for a long moment. The nephew gave the uncle a nod. “Okay. But that's what you said that you and mum are now. Our parents.”

“In a sense, we are your parents. But that doesn't mean you have to call us mum and dad, Tobias. Like Draco said, sweetheart, you don't have to feel pressured to call us anything other than Hermione and Draco. Perhaps you could call him Draco or Uncle Draco for a little while, until you're not so sad about your dad? Then, if and when you feel comfortable enough, you can call him dad if you want?” Hermione said, pouring out the first pancake onto the griddle.

Tobias turned back to her and watched as the batter started to bubble on top. “Okay.” That was all he said as he focused on what Hermione was doing.

Tabitha had been quiet since they'd left the Ministry and Hermione looked up at her, smiling. “Are you hungry, Princess?”

Once again, the girl opted for a nod and Hermione wondered if she was just shy and quiet or if it was a byproduct of being scared of their mother. It seemed that she only really spoke when either Tobias or Draco talked to her. It didn't hurt Hermione’s feelings, just her heart. No child should be scared of an adult.

“Do you want big pancakes like this? Or do you want little pancakes, like this?” Hermione poured out a pancake no bigger than a makeup compact, looking up at Tabitha. She knew that she'd have to start small with the little girl. If all she got from the girl was one word, that was progress.

Tabitha leaned back into Draco’s stomach and looked at Hermione, her grey eyes so like Draco’s. How had they not seen the family resemblance before? Her voice was barely audible, but Hermione heard it. “Little.” Tabitha held her forefinger and thumb up in a little circle, mimicking the shape.

Hermione smiled at her, “Little pancakes for a little girl, coming up. Just for Tabitha.”

“Tank you.” Hermione grinned at the little angel as her eyes welled with tears once again. Perhaps she could get through to the little girl easier than she had thought.

“Watch this, Tobias and Tabitha.” Hermione winked at them. She had already flipped all the pancakes, making sure they were done on both sides. She grabbed a plate in her left hand and slid the spatula under one of the pancakes. With a flick of her wrist, she sent it high into the air, watching as it flipped end over end. She followed its ascent and descent, catching it on the plate with a flourish.

Tabitha squealed in delight and Tobias hooped in praise. “That was so cool! Do it again!”

XxX

Draco watched in awe as Hermione flipped another pancake into the air. He wasn’t the only one mesmerised by his wife -- the kids were as well. He leaned down and kissed the top of Tabitha’s blonde curls. This little girl had already stolen his heart. Draco would give her the world if she asked. If any of them would ask.

Hermione slid the plate of large pancakes in front of Tobias with a wink and then put Tabitha’s plate of mini pancakes in front of her. “How do those look, Princess?” Draco could tell that Hermione was trying to get Tabitha to open up to her. Hermione had probably noticed the same things that Draco had -- that Tabitha was either just shy or emotionally traumatized from living with her mother and it made her careful around not just adults, but females in particular.

Draco had realized that the little girl was a little more open with him and had been from the beginning. He smiled at Hermione when she caught his eyes and gestured to the pancakes. He gave her a nod, looking down at Tabitha and Tobias. “Do you guys want some syrup?”

The kids nodded and Draco summoned the syrup from the cupboard, not wanting to leave Tabitha vulnerable to falling off the stool. “Where do you want it, Princess?” Tabitha looked up at him, her grey eyes shining up at him as she frowned, looking back down at the plate as if trying to decide.

“Do you want a bowl so you can dip it, Princess?” Hermione asked, fixing both hers and Draco’s plates.

“Yes, please.” Tabitha answered quietly, looking up through her fringe, as if she were afraid to meet Hermione’s eyes. Hermione gave her a warm smile and reached forward to tilt her chin up, leaning over the island to kiss her forehead. “Anything you want, you just have to ask.”

Hermione turned to get her a small bowl, handing it over to Draco. He poured the sticky sweet goodness into the bowl and gave Tabitha a wink. “There you go, princess. What about you, Tobias?” The boy looked up at Draco, having just finished cutting his pancakes into bite-sized pieces.

“All over, please.” He gave Draco a warm smile and watched as the syrup began to soak into the fluffy flapjacks. Draco looked back at Hermione as she moved around the island, coming to stand next to Tobias, handing Draco his plate. Draco leaned down and gave her a kiss, whispering against her lips, “I love you.”

Hermione smiled up at him and he could see some nerves behind her honey eyes. “I love you, too.” They all started to eat, Draco summoning them all something to drink. In the crazy events of the day, it had actually slipped his mind that tonight was their wedding night -- that must be on Hermione’s mind as well, he realized.

To test his theory, he gave her a heated look. When she caught his gaze, she blushed deeply, the crimson stain creeping up from her chest to the roots of her hair. She was definitely thinking about what would happen when the kids went to sleep.

XxX

An hour later they had finished their breakfast for dinner and they were walking through the manor. Hermione was holding Tobias’ hand and they were swinging their arms, smiling and laughing. Tabitha was sitting on Draco’s shoulders, playing with his hair, something he would normally have never let happen.

Hermione marveled at the change that their lives had taken in just a few short months. “Do you kids want to go and see your rooms? Maybe take your baths?”

Tobias nodded, swinging her hand higher as they bounced up the stairs. “But can I take a shower?” Hermione chuckled quietly and gave his little hand a squeeze. “You absolutely can, sweetheart. Whatever you want.”

Tabitha had laid her head down on the top of Draco’s and was watching Hermione with the eyes that were identical to Draco’s. “You got bubbles?” she asked quietly, her steel colored eyes never leaving Hermione’s face.

Hermione grinned up at the girl. “You want a bubble bath, Princess? I bet we have some bubbles somewhere to make that happen.” They had arrived outside one of the bedrooms Narcissa had set up for the kids. Draco opened the door and his smile spread. From the looks of it, Narcissa had redecorated the entire room. Hermione had no doubt the other room was similarly remodeled.

This room was obviously Tabitha’s as it was done up in pink and white. The bed was a white frame canopy with a sheer canopy draped over the metal framing and twinkling lights filtering throughout the fabric. The bedding was pink with white polka dots and there were stuffed animals sitting against the mountain of pillows. The new family of four were all wearing identical expressions of shock as they took in the scene before them. Tabitha was the first to break the silence. “It pretty.”

“It sure is, Princess,” Draco answered and lifted her from his shoulders. “Why don't you go and check out your bed?”

The little girl darted over to the tall bed, climbing up the little steps that were next to it. She sat down in the middle of all that fluff and pulled the stuffed animals close to her.

While Tabitha settled in, Draco looked down at Tobias and smiled. “We set up these two rooms for you because the bathroom connects them. We thought that might be easiest on you and Tabitha until you get used to things. If you want to remain in these rooms, that is fine. If you want to move to a different room, you can choose from any room in the manor you’d like.” Draco gestured to the open bathroom door, giving Tobias an encouraging nod.

Hermione walked to Draco’s side and slid her arm around his waist, leaning into him with a smile as they watched Tobias walk through the bathroom. “I really hope they'll be happy here.”

“I do too, Mrs. Malfoy.” Draco said, whispering in her ear. It caused tingles to run down Hermione’s spine and a warm pooling to start in her knickers. Once more her nerves flared, but she couldn't wait to be alone with Draco.

They followed Tobias through the bathroom to the bedroom on the other side. The color scheme was deep blue with wood tones. All in all, it was very relaxing, and Tobias seemed to feel at home here as well. He was standing the most relaxed she had seen him yet, his fingers running over the spines of the books on the shelves in the room.

Both Hermione and Draco exchanged smiles, likely thinking the same thing: wait until he sees the library. “Do you like to read, Tobias?” Draco asked.

Tobias turned around and looked at the two of them, the tips of his ears turning pink. “Yes. I learned to read when I was four. Dad always said I was the smartest boy in the whole wide world.” He went quiet then, his eyes turning sad.

Hermione walked over and lifted him up onto her hip, turning to the shelves. “Well, I bet he was right. Let's see if you've read any of these books and I'll tell you if I have.”

Tobias looked down at her, then up at the bookshelf, blinking fast, trying to derail the tears that were threatening. Hermione leaned in and whispered in his ear. “It's okay to cry, my prince.” She then turned to Draco and jerked her head in the direction of the bathroom.

“I'm going to go and check on Tabby. If you two are going to talk about books, I'd rather play with stuffed animals.” Draco had taken the hint and left swiftly, closing the door behind him.

When he was gone, Tobias threw his arms around Hermione’s neck, burying his face in her hair and began to cry in earnest. Hermione twisted him around the front of her body and he wrapped his legs more comfortably around her waist. She moved to an armchair and sat them both in it, rubbing soothing circles on his back. “Shhh, I've got you. I know how this feels too, to lose a parent,  and it feels rotten. But you're going to be okay. Draco and I are going to take the best care of you and Tabitha. You won't ever want for anything. You will be so very loved. You already are.”

Tobias’ sobs slowed a few minutes later, but Hermione kept rubbing his back slowly. This was the first time that he had probably let himself go since they had told him of Harrison’s death. The little boy sat up and wiped at his wet eyes, sniffling as he did. “Are we going to do a going away ceremony for my dad?”

Funeral. He was asking about a funeral. Hermione and Draco had talked about it briefly, but they had both agreed that they would be giving Harrison a funeral. They had even owled the Ministry to let them know they would be assuming responsibility of the body once it was released after the trial was over. “Yes, sweetheart, we will. But it is up to you whether you want to have it here with just your sister or you want to have it where other people can attend and say their goodbyes.”

Those steely blue-grey eyes swirled with so many emotions as he sat in Hermione’s lap. It was a big decision for a six year old to make, but Hermione felt it was his decision. It was his father, after all. “Just me and Tabby.”

Hermione gave him a nod and pulled him in for a hug. She turned her head in and kissed his temple, “Then that is what we’ll do, sweetheart. Now, about those books. Don't let Draco fool you, he loves to read too. In fact, tomorrow, we'll show you the huge library we have here.”

XxX

The kids were finally bathed and in bed, Tabitha having worn herself out playing in the magical bubble bath. She was sleeping soundly in her princess bed, underneath the canopy of twinkling lights so that she didn't get scared if she woke up in the middle of the night.

Tobias was curled up on the window seat with a thick book, reading to his little heart's content. It had pleased Hermione to no end that he had chosen a book by a Muggle and Draco couldn't help but chuckle quietly.

Both kids were told exactly where Draco and Hermione’s door was and to come if they needed anything, no matter what time it was. Draco knew that could be a bad thing, though. When Draco stopped outside of their door, he turned and faced the hall, drawing his wand. Hermione looked at him questioningly and he answered simply, “Just some alerting spells to chime to let us know if they're coming to the door. So we have time to get decent.”

His voice had dropped on the last line as the spell was cast. He turned to look down at Hermione and she was blushing again, but she wasn't backing down. “That's a brilliant idea. Because we are going to be anything but decent,” Hermione said, reaching up to wrap her arms around Draco’s neck. His arms slid around her waist and lifted her off the ground. He felt her legs move around his waist as he captured her lips in a heated kiss.

They both moaned into the kiss and he mumbled against her lips. “I'm supposed to carry you over the threshold the other way.”

“My feet aren't on the floor. Fuck the other tradition. Fuck me,” Hermione replied, biting his bottom lip. Draco growled as he stalked forward and opened the door to their bedroom. He kicked the door shut with his foot and locked it wandlessly as well as silently as his lips were currently preoccupied.

Hermione pulled back, her hands moving between their bodies to work at the buttons on his shirt, muttering under her breath. Draco felt a ripple of magic in the air and raised his brow at her. “I'm silencing the room. Don't need to be heard all the way to London. Much less by the kids. Or your mother.”

Draco chuckled deeply as his shirt was ripped from his body. Hermione’s hands traveled over the skin momentarily before he set her down and pulled her blouse over her head, not even bothering with the buttons. He leaned down and kissed her again, walking her backwards to the bed and laying her out on it. His lips left hers, trailing down her jaw, his hands trailing along the underside of her lacy green bra. “Have I mentioned how much I love you in green?”

“A few times.” Hermione grinned up at him, her fingers toying with the waistband of his trousers until the button popped free. Draco’s hands slid around behind her and she arched her back to help him. His fingers deftly unclasped her bra, sliding it from her arms. He would never get tired of this, unwrapping her like a present, and he would get to do this forever. She was all his in name, body, mind, spirit and soul.

“I love you, Hermione. You are so beautiful.” Draco cooed as he discarded her bra.

Hermione's answering smile was brilliant, as were her fingers slowly sliding his zipper down and brushing along his hardening erection. A groan emerged from his throat at the barely-there touch, his hips bucking forward involuntarily. Everything had been so crazy for them lately that they hadn’t had much time to themselves.

Then they could only touch, kiss and give each other head. Now, though, they were going to go all the way and the thought made Draco hard as a stone. He held a lot of firsts -- Hermione’s firsts -- and he was going to hold one more. He was also going to be her last.

Draco leaned in, his mouth covering a peaked nipple as Hermione slid her hand into his trousers and stroked him truly. “I love you too, Draco,” she moaned, her back arching, pushing her nipple further into his mouth. Draco wriggled his lower body around,  shimmying out of his trousers and pants, kicking them off of the bed as he turned his attention to her neglected nipple.

Hermione’s slender fingers gave his cock a squeeze, twisting before she sunk back down to the base. Draco clenched his eyes tight as he focused on the sensation for a moment, and then he carefully extracted his member from Hermione’s grip. She whimpered in protest. But Draco wasn't deterred. His lips left her breast and began kissing a trail down her body. Deft fingers hooked  into the waistband of the leggings Hermione had on and jerked them down her body, the lacy knickers she had on coming with them.

He ran his nose along the delicately trimmed curls at the top of her mound, inhaling slowly, the scent of Hermione’s arousal causing his straining erection to jerk. Hermione spread her legs wide, revealing just how wet she was. “You're fucking dripping, love. I can't wait to taste.” Draco licked his lips and followed her leggings down, removing the tight fabric from each ankle. He then kissed his way back up each leg, alternating gentle kisses on the inside of each limb.

Draco looked up at Hermione. She had lifted up on her elbows to look down at him with a secret smile on her face. This had always been her favorite part of their explorations -- watching Draco eat her out. But tonight, he had a feeling that would change. Draco leaned in, running the flat of his tongue right up her slit. Hermione groaned and dropped her head back, biting her bottom lip. That was her silent plea for Draco to do more.

Never one to deny Hermione, he dipped his tongue between her wet folds and circled around her entrance, before swiping up and flicking her clit over and over again, the assault hardening the bundle of nerves and making her curl her toes.

Hermione's hands clenched the sheets beneath her as she forced her head back up when Draco paused, looking up at her. Her mouth had fallen open and she was breathing heavily with a grin. When they made eye contact, Draco descended once again, taking her clit into his mouth and sucking on the tiny bud, teasing it with his teeth.

Draco brought a hand up and slowly trailed a finger through Hermione’s lower lips, coating his finger in her arousal, before slipping it into her entrance. Her walls clamped down around the lone digit. Draco could feel the barrier he would soon break and, not for the first time tonight, he hoped he wouldn’t hurt her too badly. He shoved that thought from her mind and returned to the task at hand -- to make sure she was more than ready for him.

XxX

Bliss. Hermione was in pure bliss. Everything but Draco was pushed from her mind at that moment. That was until Draco brushed against that barrier inside of her with his finger. Then reality crashed back in on her for just a moment. She was going to lose her virginity tonight. She would lose it to the man she loved more than life itself, but the thought was still daunting. She had heard countless stories of how it hurt the first time and she couldn't help but hope that those weren't true.

As Draco added another finger, he curled them up and found that special spot inside of her. All her morose thoughts disappeared as she felt that familiar tightening sensation in her abdomen. Hermione could no longer hold herself up on her elbows. She fell back on the bed and her hands snapped down to thread through Draco’s hair. She was sure her nails were leaving intentions in his scalp, but she couldn't care less.

Her body began to writhe on the mattress as Draco’s ministrations became relentless. Her pleasure climbing higher, the wire tightening until it snapped and she screamed as her body bowed forward around Draco’s head, her toes curling. “DRACO!”

When the waves of pleasure finally slowed and Hermione’s vision returned to normal, she noticed Draco hovering over her. Normally, he was still between her legs, lapping at her arousal like he was a man dying of thirst. But not tonight. Draco was looking down at her with love in his eyes and a gentle smile as he leaned in and kissed her.

Hermione wrapped her arms and legs around him, her lips meeting his in a deep kiss. They lost themselves in that kiss, one of Draco’s hands moving to rest in her hair. Hermione parted her lips and Draco took the invitation, sliding his tongue in. Hermione moaned, tightening her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. She felt the heat and hardness of his hard cock against her wet folds and suddenly, she wasn't scared anymore.

But she had noticed that Draco had stiffened. In the months that they had been together, they'd never made intimate contact like this. Never skin to skin. One of them had always been clothed when they had lain like this, when they had simulated the act and got off that way. “Hey, none of that now. Make me truly yours, Draco. Cause now it's just you and me, until we're grey and old.” Hermione stared into those grey eyes that were swirling with emotions. “I love you, Draco. I need my husband inside of me.”

Draco shuddered and leaned down to kiss Hermione roughly, whispering against her lips, “I love you, Hermione. I'll love you even when we're ghosts.”

He lifted up on his elbows, his hips leaving hers for a moment. Hermione let her legs relax and fall wide, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. Draco slid his hand between them and she felt the head of his cock slip between her lower lips. Hermione moaned at the feel of it rubbing against her clit, her eyes rolling back in her head. She bit her lip when he stopped and aligned himself with her entrance.

Hermione opened her eyes, warm brown meeting swirling, stormy grey. She brought one hand around and began to caress Draco’s cheek slowly, giving him a smile and a nod. Draco began to very slowly rock his hips. Hermione could feel herself starting to stretch, trying to accept just the tip of Draco’s cock. She realized then why he hadn’t cleaned her with his tongue. The extra honey from her arousal was helping to lubricate him.

On the next forward swing of his hips, Draco’s head slipped past her entrance, butting right against her hymen -- the only thing separating her from her innocence and knowing her husband completely. Draco shuddered against her, his eyes closing off from hers as he stilled his movements. This gave her a moment to adjust to this foreign sensation. She wasn't used to being this stretched, but she could tell it was difficult for him to hold this position. “So tight,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

Hermione ran her thumb over one of his eyes. “Draco, please,” she pleaded with him, her voice a quavering whine. He opened those stormy depths to lock with hers.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Draco.”

“Hold onto me. Relax and breathe,” Draco said and Hermione complied, wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers gripping his shoulders. They were both anticipating the pain for her, but they both also knew it would be temporary. They managed to find a comfortable position and still be able to look into each other's eyes.

Hermione gave him a silent nod, which he returned,and he slowly pulled his hips back, the blunt head of his cock retreating from her barrier. Draco swallowed thickly and took a deep breath before snapping his hips forward quickly. She had done what he said, she had relaxed, but breathing was another story.

When his hips had swung forward and his cock had pushed past her barrier, the hymen breaking, her virginity gone, the pain had taken her breath away. Draco stilled, his hips pressed fully against hers, his cock buried in her.

Hermione had kept her eyes open and locked on his. Her nails had dug into his skin and her legs had tightened around his hips. There were wet trails down her temple, but she wasn't crying. The pain had involuntarily pulled a couple of tears from her eyes; that couldn't be helped. “I'm okay,” she said, her eyes focusing back in on Draco's worried face. The pain was already ebbing away, and while the sensation of being stretched and filled was new, it wasn't uncomfortable.

Draco adjusted himself so he could bring a hand up and brush it along her cheek, the movement causing his cock to move inside of her. She moaned at the sensation it caused. “Oh!”

“Did that hurt?! Shit, I shouldn't have moved yet,” Draco said, regret coloring his tone.

Hermione rolled her hips, knowing that action was the only way to get him to believe her. “Quite the opposite,” she purred. His eyes darkened even further as he realized her pain was long gone. Hermione leaned up and kissed Draco hungrily, her tongue thrusting into his mouth as she rolled her hips under him once again.

Draco finally took the hint and pulled his hips back, the sensation dragging a moan out of Hermione, causing her eyes to close as she dug her heels into his arse.

XxX

Draco had to have died and gone to heaven. He had never been buried in something so tight and heavenly. His lips found Hermione's as he began a slow pace, wanting to savor this feeling for as long as he could. Circe’s left tit, this felt divine. Draco’s hands slid down Hermione’s sides and hooked behind her knees, pulling them higher.

That glorious sound she emitted in pleasure once again left her throat as Hermione arched her back. “Oh fuck, Draco!” He snapped his hips forward, their skin meeting in a slap as she made another keening cry. He would never get tired of that sound.

Draco sat up on his knees, holding Hermione’s legs high, as he thrust his hips at a fast pace. Hermione was running a litany of different praises and curse words as her fingers clenched the sheets beneath her. “Yes, Draco! Yes! Harder!” He leaned forward and placed Hermione’s legs on his shoulders, pounding into her warm and welcoming core. He was already so close to his release it was unbelievable to him. He loved this witch so damn much.

XxX

Hermione had never imagined that sex would feel like this. That making love with the person that meant the world to you would feel like this. She looked up at Draco, sweat beading on his upper lip as he pounded into her. The building sensation in her abdomen was more intense than anything she had ever felt before. “Hermione, I'm...close. Fuck!”

Draco’s voice was low and husky. Hermione’s hands released the sheets and cupped Draco’s face. As she contorted her body into what could have been considered a painful position, she couldn't have cared less. All she wanted in that moment was to kiss Draco.

As their lips met in a heated kiss, Draco groaned into the kiss. He angled his hips up, his cock brushing along Hermione’s g-spot. Her fingers gripped Draco’s face before sliding into his hair. Her moans were swallowed by his lips. She only broke the kiss as she dropped her head back to shout out her release. She felt the orgasm throughout her entire body, her walls clamping down on Draco’s cock.

He muttered a curse, dropping his forehead onto her exposed chest. Draco moved his lips across the sweaty skin, his hips bucking erratically against hers. He was grunting quietly. “Fuck, Hermione. I'm gonna…” He buried himself deeply inside of her core and she felt a twitch and then warmth filling her center.

Draco carefully readjusted them, removing her legs from his shoulders, and rolled them onto their sides, keeping them connected. His hand came up and brushed her hair back with a smile. “You are so beautiful and I love you.”

Hermione sighed contentedly, relaxing bonelessly into Draco’s sweaty body. “I love you so much. That was so amazing and so much better than I ever thought it could be. Thank you for being so gentle with me.” She yawned quietly. It had been a long day and that had taken much more out of her than she had expected.

“I was honored to be your first, my beautiful wife. I am so glad you thought it was amazing, I hope to continue to make you feel amazing for years and years to come. Now let's get some sleep. There's no telling how early those kids will wake up.” He chuckled quietly, his own yawn breaking from his lips.

Draco leaned in to kiss Hermione lightly and gently moved his hips, extricating himself from her warm core. Hermione moaned at the sensation, but pouted at the loss of the sense of fulfilment. She could feel the mixture of their releases sliding from her body. She shivered at the feeling. “You okay, love?”

Hermione nodded and snuggled in close to her husband, tangling their legs. “I just love the feeling of our releases sliding out of me.” Another yawn stopped her ability to speak and she closed her eyes. “Goodnight, Draco. I love you.”

“I love you too, Hermione.” Draco pulled her in tighter, resting his chin on top of her head. Hermione slowly began to drift off to sleep, happy and content with her life, with not a care in the world.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Guys, I'm freaking the hell out! The end is in sight. I have the epilogue already playing in my head. I'm not ready! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! I'M GOING DOWN! I REPEAT, I AM GOING DOWN! *deep breaths* Okay, freak out over, for now. Seriously though, I am not ready for this story to draw to an end. But here is our next chapter, I hope that you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think.
> 
> Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all the canon characters and original story. I just play with it and twist it to my liking.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

The alerts started to sound around eight that next morning, accompanied by the sound of little feet creeping up to the doorway. Hermione smiled over at Draco. “And so it begins.” The two of them had already gotten up and put on pajamas in preparation for a visitor or two.

“So it begins,” Draco chuckled quietly, slipping from the bed just as the handle of the door began to jiggle. Hermione watched as her husband walked over and opened the door. Little Tabitha was standing on the other side with her blanket and a stuffed animal in her hands. When she saw Draco, she looked up at him with her sleepy eyes and held her arms up.

“Well good morning, Princess,” Draco said, lifting her up and kissing her wild curls. “Did you sleep well?”

Tabitha gave a sleepy nod, rubbing her eye with her fist as she yawned. Hermione was coming to think that Tabitha’s reluctance to talk didn’t have so much to do with being terrified of women; she was just going to be a quiet girl. Though, Hermione thought, Tabitha might still be apprehensive towards her because she was a woman.

Draco carried the little girl over to the bed and set her down in the rumpled sheets. Tabitha crawled over to make room for Draco, scooting closer to Hermione. “Good morning, Princess. Can I have a hug?” Hermione asked her, not wanting to push the little girl. But she shouldn’t have worried. Tabitha moved right on over and snuggled up to Hermione, draping her tiny arm across Hermione’s neck.

Hermione looked over at Draco, her eyes glossing over with tears as she lifted her hand to rub Tabitha’s back. The little girl didn’t move away as Hermione expected her to, but stayed in that position, taking a deep breath and relaxing. After a few minutes, Hermione heard a quiet snore against her throat and laughed quietly. “Looks like someone just needed some snuggles to go back to sleep.”

“I told you that she only needed time to adjust and I know that they've only been with us one day. But her interactions with you previously have more than proved that you’re different from her mum. I think she’s going to be a shy and quiet girl.” Draco whispered, propping himself on his elbow, his free hand gently playing with Tabitha’s hair.

Tabitha sucked in a breath and let out a small wiffle and Hermione smiled softly, kissing the top of her head. “I know. I can’t tell you how glad I am, though, that we sacrificed a wedding ceremony for them. They deserved to be somewhere that they are loved.”

Draco looked at her with a tender gaze, his hand leaving Tabitha’s hair to brush his thumb along Hermione’s lips. “You will still have that wedding you always dreamed of having. Just say when. Mum and I will make sure it is everything you ever wanted. As a matter of fact, the two of you can start planning today.”

Hermione shook her head carefully, so as not to disturb the slumbering girl. “You never cease to amaze me, Draco Malfoy. But before we get to wedding planning, we have a funeral we need to organize first. That was the most heartbreaking thing last night, watching as a six-year-old made that decision. He wants the funeral to just be for him and Tabitha. I can understand that--they never really knew any of their extended family.”

Draco frowned, his eyes dropping to the curls on the back of their new daughter’s head. “I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have been like for him. He’s such a strong kid. We’ll also set up a memorial service, perhaps in one of the meeting rooms at the Ministry, for those family and friends that he did have. Speaking of the Ministry, did you owl Harry for some time off?”

“I’m pretty sure he knows that I’ll be taking a few days at least. But I will owl him when I am free.” Hermione smiled, tucking her nose against the top of Tabitha’s head, inhaling the sweet scent that rested there. “I think I may owl in my resignation letter as well.”

Hermione looked up at Draco and had to stifle a giggle at his incredulous look. “You’re going to resign? Why?”

Tabitha shivered against her and Hermione pulled the blankets up higher on her body. “I don’t want to push our kids off on your mother or the elves. But, I won’t just be a stay-at-home wife and mum either. I will work for Malfoy Industries as well. Since it is the family business and all.”

Draco chuckled softly, moving in close behind Tabitha in an attempt to warm her as well, tangling his legs with Hermione’s under the covers. “It is the family business and you are a Malfoy now. I’ve been doing some thinking as well over the last week about my involvement at work. I think now that we’ve got the majority of the kinks worked out in the safe houses, especially after Evangeline, that I can step back into the role of CEO. Which means that I wouldn’t have to be in the office as often. Also, it just so happens, we are looking for a Chief Financial Officer and that position could be a work-from-home position, as needed.”

Hermione grinned at her husband. “You just want me home with the kids, barefoot and pregnant. You want a whole Quidditch team for yourself. Just admit it.” Hermione paused, her eyes widening as last night replayed in her mind.

“What?” Draco asked, noticing the look on Hermione’s face.

“We forgot to cast a contraceptive charm last night.” Hermione used a free hand to cover her face, unable to believe she’d been so careless. But by the time they’d gotten the kids settled, they’d been ready to jump each other and hadn’t cared about anything else.

Draco chuckled softly, and Hermione dropped her hand to glare over at him. “What? We’re married and we love each other. If a baby comes out of that, it’s not like we don’t already have two kids.”

Hermione made a face at Draco, sticking her tongue out at him in a very childish move. “I know that. But I think that we need time to settle in with Tobias and Tabitha before we start our own family, not that they aren’t ours. But you know what I mean. I don’t want them to feel like they aren’t enough for us. I say we at least give it a couple of years.”

He smiled at her, giving her a nod, “I agree, love. I was just teasing you.”

There was a timid knock on their door and Hermione grinned at Draco. “Round two.”

Draco gave her a wink and called out, “Come in, buddy.” The knob turned and the door opened slowly, Tobias peeking his head around. “Good morning, Tobias. You want to come get in with us? Tabitha is up here.”

Tobias came further into the room, shutting the door behind him, and nodded. He climbed onto the bed at the foot and crawled into the middle, Draco scooting back to make room for him. “Good morning, Mum. Uncle D.” The way he said Uncle D was still a little awkward, but Hermione expected it to be that way for a while.

“How did you sleep, sweetheart?” Hermione asked, smiling at him around Tabitha’s sleeping form.

“I slept good. But I'm hungry now.” Hermione chuckled softly, the movements jostling Tabitha, making her whine. Hermione rubbed her back gently, soothing her back to sleep.

“Well, we can call the elves up if you can't wait. But if you can wait for your sister to wake up, we'll go down and meet my mum,” Draco said, giving Tobias a smile. “And then after breakfast, we'll go and see the library.”

Tobias seemed to think about it, before settling down into the bed, snuggling up to Draco. “I can wa-ait.” A yawn broke up the end of his sentence, his hand covering his mouth. “Sorry. I can wait. That was a good book that you picked for me last night, Mum.”

Hermione smiled over at him. She had given him her copy of Arabian Nights, mildly surprised by his reading level. But she was even more surprised that he had evidently finished it in just one night. “You finished it already, sweetheart?”

“I read fast. But I was still up until about midnight to finish it.” Tobias yawned again, his eyes getting heavy and Hermione grinned. He’d be back asleep before long, too.

Draco chuckled softly, ruffling his hair. “Once we start your schooling up though, you won’t be able to stay up so late reading, buddy.” Hermione smiled, nodding at Tobias when he looked over at her through heavily lidded eyes.

“I’m afraid your Uncle D is right, my sweet prince. Staying up late reading will be for the weekends. You’ll have to be in bed at a decent hour during the week.” Tabitha shifted against Hermione, her fingers drifting to play lightly in Hermione’s hair.

Tobias was slowly slipping back into sleep, but still managed to mumble quietly, “Mmkay, mumma.”

XxX

The kids slept for another hour in the bed with Hermione and Draco; he had a feeling it was going to become a regular thing. Draco was more than okay with that. He and Hermione planned exactly what they wanted to do for Harrison’s funeral while the kids slept on, blissfully unaware.

Tabitha had been the first to wake, a whimper leaving her lips as she began to cradle her hand against her chest, complaining. “Tingly,” she said softly. Draco had immediately understood, as had Hermione, who had cast a quick charm to alleviate the pain from Tabitha’s arm, which had fallen asleep from her laying on it.

The sound of his sister in distress had roused Tobias and they were off to the dining room, all still in their pajamas. Sure, his mother might have a stroke at the sight, but she would just have to bend a little on her pureblood ways. Not every meal had to require formal dress.

Draco adjusted Tobias, who was riding on his back, and bounded down the stairs. The sounds of Tobias’ laughter echoed around the halls and it surprised Draco that the manor didn’t start crumbling around them at such a joyous sound. But after all the harsh things that had happened within its walls, a little happiness and joy would be a welcome change. Draco turned to look back up at the landing, where Hermione was just beginning to descend, carrying Tabitha on her hip. It made his heart swell with pride.

When Hermione reached Tobias and Draco, she looked up at Draco and blushed. “What?”

“Nothing. I was just admiring the view,” Draco replied, leaning down to kiss his wife gently. He released one of Tobias’ legs to grab Hermione’s hand, tucking his free arm behind him, under Tobias’s bum. Together, they all walked hand in hand into the dining room, to find something Draco had never seen in his life: a nervous Narcissa Malfoy.

“Good morning, Mum,” Draco said, walking in to greet his mother, setting Tobias down on the marble floor. Draco gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, smiling softly at her.

Narcissa gave a nervous smile at the new members of her family and Draco. “Good morning, everyone.”

Hermione moved in next to Narcissa and leaned down carefully to give her a kiss on the cheek as well. Tabitha clung to Hermione for dear life so as not to fall, even though Hermione would never let that happen. “Good morning, Narcissa.”

Draco grinned at Tabitha when she looked back at him and gave her a little wave. She lifted her hands toward him with a smile of her own. “Daddy, you hold me?” Draco chuckled and moved to grab Tabitha from Hermione. Tabitha had been attached to Hermione all morning, which he knew made Hermione feel so much better about the beginning of the relationship between the two females. But both Draco and Hermione knew that Tabitha was going to be a daddy’s girl. Tobias was likewise going to be a mumma’s boy. “I sure will, Princess. Come here.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother smile, a genuine smile. Draco knew he needed to apologize to her for telling her about his sister the way that he had. “Mum, this is Tabitha and this is Tobias. Tabby, Tobias, this is my mum. Her name is Narcissa. But you can call her Cissa--”

“Or Grandmum or Nana. Grammy. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” Narcissa jumped in, but fading out rather quickly, as if losing her steam. Tobias, as if sensing how uneasy and off kilter Narcissa was, walked forward and smiled up at the older woman, leaning up to give her a hug.

“It’s nice to meet you. How would you like if I called you Gram?” Tobias asked politely, keeping eye contact with Narcissa. Draco was amazed, once again, by the boy’s maturity and watched as his mother lit up like a wand tip when Lumos was cast.

Narcissa nodded, hugging the little boy back, kissing the top of his head. “Gram sounds perfect, Tobias. It is wonderful to meet you as well. You’re a handsome little tyke and very polite, too.”

Tobias grinned, moving to take the seat to Narcissa’s right, the seat Draco normally occupied. “Thank you, Gram. My dad always said that manners were the most important thing in life. That good manners will help you succeed.”

Hermione looked over at Draco and shook her head with a small smile on her face. Both were amazed at their new son. It seemed he was going to be quite a charmer, but after all, he was, by blood, a Malfoy. Charm was in his very genetics. “Now if you had been that charming in school to me, I'd have been yours for years by now,” Hermione leaned up to whisper in Draco’s ear before taking the seat next to Tobias.

Draco walked to the opposite side of the table with Tabitha, charming her chair to be taller, so that she was level with the table. Once he had her seated, he took his own seat.

Breakfast was fairly uneventful, Draco just sat back and watched as his mother talked to the kids, getting to know them. Even Tabitha talked openly with her new Gram. Draco couldn't help but smile at the little girl and kiss her head a few times. But when the dishes were cleared away and the kids had gotten down from the table, wandering over to the large windows overlooking the gardens, Draco looked at his mum seriously. “Mum, I want--we want to apologize.” He gestured to Hermione as well, who nodded in agreement.

Narcissa frowned, her brows pulling together, but she didn't speak, so Draco continued. “We should have told you from the moment we found out about Evangeline, in private. Not the way we did yesterday, with witnesses.”

A soft sigh escaped his mother’s lips as she grabbed both his and Hermione’s hands. “While I would have preferred not to have been blindsided as I was, I can understand why you didn't.” At this she paused and looked over her shoulder at the kids. “Draco, darling, your father was a cruel and abusive man. We both know that. But I also know that he was a manipulative liar. While I had no concrete proof, I knew in my gut that all those long ‘missions’ for the Dark Lord were likely a cover. So while it was a shock, it really wasn't. If that makes any sense.”

Draco stared at his mother, dumbfounded. He should have known better than to assume that she'd been oblivious to his father's transgressions. He was about to speak but she cut him off. “The two of you have made me so very proud. You made an enormous sacrifice for those two children. It shows how much you have grown, Draco. Just a few years ago, you wouldn't have even entertained the idea of giving up your life for children, even if they were your blood. And Hermione, sweetheart, giving up your wedding. That took a lot of heart. We will do a vow renewal for the two of you and it will be everything you ever wanted and more.”

Draco grinned and Hermione giggled. “Draco informed me of the same thing this morning. I should have expected it, but I am glad nonetheless. But we are still sorry, Narcissa. We should have told you right after the incident. It cannot be easy to welcome the grandchildren of your late husband's infidelity into your home.”

Narcissa gave Hermione a stern look. “You hush, child. Those are my grandchildren now. Lucius was never a factor in their lives, with his head too far up the Dark Lord’s arse. Those children will never want for anything so long as they live under my roof. And neither will you, Draco, nor any children the two of you have.” 

Narcissa pulled Draco's hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles with a smile. “I love you, my darling boy. You have made me so incredibly proud. Now, go gather those kids. I'm sure you have promised them some kind of tour of one of the many special rooms.”

Draco grinned at his mum, rising and kissing her head. “We're taking Tobias to the library.”

Narcissa nodded at her son. “That is a great place to start. That boy is going to have the smarts to rival this beauty over here. I daresay he may be the brightest wizard of his age.” Both women started to chuckle as Draco left the table to walk over to the wall of windows, glancing back as two of the three most important witches in his life continued to converse.

XxX

“Truly, Hermione, adopting those children was an incredibly selfless act. All through your school years, Draco would constantly gripe and complain about how you bested him in every class. But never would I have known how selfless you are until now. Truly a Gryffindor through and through.” Narcissa winked at Hermione and squeezed her hands. “In just the short time that you and Draco have been together, you have changed my son for the better. He had already changed himself, but I can't begin to thank you enough. You are just as much my daughter now, as he is my son. Never hesitate to ask me for anything. I'll help you plan your wedding from top to bottom, too.

“I know that we’ll have to work around your schedule at the Ministry, but that’s all details. We’ll get all of that ironed out. You just let me know when.” Narcissa grinned at her.

Hermione’s eyes started to mist over with tears, listening to Narcissa. She was so motherly, not unlike her own, or Molly. But Hermione felt closer to Narcissa than Molly, and do she jumped forward, wrapping her arms around Narcissa’s neck. “Oh, well actually, I was going to owl Harry later with my resignation letter and go to work with Draco. So that I can bend my hours to be more available for the kids. But I am extremely thankful for your help, Narcissa.”

Narcissa placed a kiss to her temple and whispered quietly, “If you would like and it wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable for you, you could call me Mum. But if it in anyway feels as if you are degrading the memory of your own mother, you can still call me Narcissa.”

A warm sensation filled Hermione’s heart as the tears spilled over, trailing down her cheeks as she squeezed Narcissa’s neck once again and whispered back, “Thank you, Mum.”

The two witches pulled back and Narcissa wiped Hermione’s eyes with her thumbs. “You’d better go. I'm sure Tobias is beyond ready to see the library.” Hermione smiled at the older witch. The woman was still beautiful--there were merely some small crow’s feet visible at the corners of her eyes and laugh lines at the corners of her mouth. You'd never know she suffered at the hands of an abusive husband. “Hermione?”

Hermione turned back at the sound of her name, smiling at her mother-in-love. She refused to think of her as a mother-in-law. “Yes, Mum?”

“I love you too, dear. Just as much as I love Draco.” Narcissa smiled at Hermione before turning to address the rest of the family, raising her voice. “Have fun today, dears. I am heading out to wizarding Paris with Mrs. Parkinson today. You all will have the manor to yourself. Don’t get into too much trouble.” She rose from the table and left the dining room, Hermione watching her go as a chorus of goodbyes followed her out.

Tobias came up beside Hermione and grabbed her hand, smiling up at her. “Can we go to the library now, Mum?”

“Absolutely, sweetheart.” Hermione said, smiling down at him and squeezing his hand. She looked back behind her to find Draco walking over to them with Tabitha in his arms. Hermione laughed softly, shaking her head. That girl wasn’t going to know what it was to walk. She was definitely living up to the ‘princess’ nickname they had given her.

Draco led the way from the dining room, Hermione and Tobias following behind, swinging their hands back and forth, laughing softly. The trek through the manor was a long one, since the library was on the other side. “There’s so many rooms,” Tobias commented, looking at all the doors as they passed.

Up ahead, Draco chuckled softly and nodded. “Yes, there are quite a few rooms. Fifty-eight to be exact. We’ll explore the whole place today if you want and you can pick out a room or two to decorate and change just the way you want it for whatever you want. How does that sound?”

Tobias looked up at Hermione, then over at Draco. “Really? So, if I wanted an art room? Where I could paint on the walls?”

“Absolutely, buddy. Whatever you want,” Draco reiterated, giving him a grin before gesturing to a set of double doors ahead of them. “Why don’t you go and open those?” Tobias’ eyes focused in on the double doors ahead of him. They were at least ten feet tall, with ornately carved panels depicting different stories from wizarding history. One was the building of Hogwarts, and another was Merlin sitting at King Arthur’s court, among many more.

Hermione thought they were heavy for her and just knew that Tobias might have trouble, but the little boy was so excited that he bounded forward and pushed both sides open with no problem. The awed gasp that left his lips at his first view of the massive stacks brought a smile to Hermione’s face. Tobias was so much like her that it made her heart fill with nostalgia.

Tobias walked in, an awed silence filling the library as Hermione, Draco and Tabitha walked in behind him. Hermione followed Tobias as he walked to the nearest shelf and ran his fingers along the spines reverently. “There are so many books. I’ve never seen so many.”

“And this is just the first set of shelves, my handsome prince,” Hermione whispered, leaning down to kiss his head. “You can read every book in here if you’d like. So long as your Uncle D and I approve it for you.” That earned her a nod as Tobias rounded the corner into the next aisle, his fingers trailing along every book he could reach.

“They speak to me, the books,” Tobias said, while pulling a book from the shelf, looking at the front cover. Hermione frowned, looking over her shoulder at Draco, who had pulled down a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard for Tabitha.

Draco shrugged at her, a mild look of concern on his face. “What do you mean, Tobias? When you say that the books speak to you?”

Tobias opened the book he was holding to the middle, laying his open palm on the pages. “Just the magical ones, not the Muggle ones, like the one you let me read last night, Mum. I don’t always understand what they say, but it’s mostly just the spells that enchant them, that make them magical.”

Hermione looked at Tobias for a moment longer, before turning her eyes back to Draco. What in Merlin’s name were they going to do about this? She had never heard or read about anything like this happening before. She supposed it was time to contact Professor McGonagall.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I'm so glad to bring you an update of this story finally! I'm excited to see what y'all think about it. Up next on my docket is Soul Bound, which I'm also excited about. Please let me know what you think about this chapter. It's a bit of a filler, but it got me back in the swing of things.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or the universe. Just the plot where it deviates from canon and the original characters. I make no profit from this story.
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.

A week had turned into two months before they had known it and Hermione couldn’t have been more happy with how their life had turned out. She had written Professor McGonagall about Tobias’ little gift. Of course, she’d had to explain how she and Draco had come into guardianship of Tobias and Tabitha.

Her favorite professor had written back that it was likely nothing to worry about. That there had been several documented cases of something like this in the past. Hermione had questioned Tobias extensively and it sounded as if he was just hearing what spells and enchantments that had been used to bind the books together -- akin to the way wandmakers could intuit what the wood and core material was ‘saying’ to make it compatible for a wand.

Draco and Hermione had talked about it that night, coming to the conclusion that Tobias could possibly have a bright future in bookmaking. Malfoy Industries owned several printing firms and with this new development, Draco was talking about possibly buying more. Hermione had talked him down.

The wedding preparations were coming along nicely and they had set a date of April 7th, a mere month away. Everything was in the finalization stages, which Narcissa had insisted on doing herself.

After she had penned her letter to McGonagall, Hermione had written her resignation letter to Harry as well. That had resulted in an unannounced Floo visit from her best friend and boss.

*Flashback*

_“HERMIONE!” Harry’s voice echoed throughout the foyer of the manor as Harry left the parlor where all Floo travel was directed. Draco and Hermione looked up from the jigsaw puzzle they were working with the kids, trying to decide where a certain magically moving piece was supposed to fit._

_Hermione grimaced, she knew that tone. “He must have read my resignation...I’ll go talk to him. You stay here with the kids.” She kissed the tops of the little ones’ heads and placed a tender kiss on Draco’s lips, then left the sitting room they were in._

_She found Harry wandering the hallway, looking in every door that would open for her. It seemed he was rather determined to find her. “Harry.”_

_Those vivid green eyes turned on her, narrowing in frustration, bewilderment and a little bit of hurt. He held up his hand, the expensive parchment she had used clutched in his fingers. “What is this?”_

_Hermione sighed softly and led Harry into the room they were nearest to. It looked to be an office of some sort, with a magnificent desk. Hermione chose to sit in one of the plush armchairs, while Harry chose to stand by the fireplace. “Harry, you know exactly what it is. You’ve read it. It’s my resignation letter. I understand that you may be confused as to the suddenness of my decision, but so much has changed. You must see why I had to resign.”_

_Harry stared into the dark fireplace, where the ashes of long dead fires lay. He was quiet for sometime, working through his emotions. “I know, Mi. You’re a wife, a mother now. To two children who have been through a hell of a lot. I just wish you had talked to me about it first. We could have worked something out, fixed your schedule to be more accommodating.”_

_“It wasn’t just about fixing my schedule to be more accommodating, Harry. The work we do for the DMLE, it’s not something we can do from home and I want to be home with the kids as much as possible. At least until they are more comfortable here, with Draco and I. I know that I should have discussed it with you first, I’m sorry that I didn’t. Everything has been so chaotic that it’s hard to think straight around here.” Hermione sighed again, her fingers pulling a strand of her hair around and twisting the lock between her fingers. “Draco and I have talked about it, he is going to be stepping back into the role of being solely CEO and I am going to take over the post of CFO, which will allow me to work from home effectively, unless I am absolutely needed at the office. He and I will be able to be here for the kids and when we cannot be, Narcissa will. Between the three of us, we will oversee their primary schooling. Draco and Narcissa will focus on the wizarding aspect and I on the Muggle.”_

_“You are once again simultaneously the most infuriating and inspiring witch I’ve had the pleasure of calling my family,” Harry said, looking over at Hermione with a grin._

_Hermione stood, walking over to hug her best friend around the waist. “I love you too, Harry.”_

*End of Flashback*

“Love?” Hermione was pulled from the memory by Draco’s voice.

She looked over at her husband and smiled at him, “Sorry, lost in thought. Did you ask me a question?” Hermione was sitting in the deep bellied tub, relaxing in the depths of the warm and fragrant bubbles. Draco was sitting on a stool next to the marble basin, a book in his hands. He’d been reading to her, but as she’d zoned out, she had no idea how much she’d missed.

“No, but I did say that I would have to go to the office tomorrow and it will likely run over Tobias’ school time. Since it is a wizarding subject day, mum will take over, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. Everything going okay in the financing department? I mean, I know it is, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask.” Draco chuckled quietly, leaning down to kiss the top of Hermione’s head.

Hermione gave a nod of her head, before relaxing it against the back of the tub again. She was thankful that Draco had cast a cushioning charm on the marble. “Everything is going great, I will probably go in next week, on a wizarding subject day, and just physically check in on the files. I am glad that I still get to work, but I love getting to be here for the kids so much. Speaking of, they should be getting back soon.” Hermione looked up at the clock Draco had placed in the bathroom for her.

Narcissa had taken them to the magical zoo in London, tucked away in a far corner of Diagon Alley. It was a new addition after the war, headed by Rolf Scamander, Newt Scamander’s grandson.

Every Wednesday, they had agreed to take Tobias and Tabitha on a trip, alternating between Muggle and wizarding destinations. It was always an educational trip and it got the kids out of the manor. They also alternated which cultures they would be teaching on which days. Mondays and Thursdays were wizarding days, whereas Tuesdays and Fridays were Muggle days.

A towel appeared in front of her unfocused eyes and she shook her head again, laughing softly. “I really am distracted today, aren’t I?”

“It’s probably because I shagged your brains out today,” Draco said, watching as she stood, his lids dropping as he watched the water fall from her body. Hermione wasn’t going to deny that she had been thoroughly shagged today. She was deliciously sore all over her body.

Hermione enjoyed the days when Narcissa volunteered to take the kids on their trips. She and Draco generally stayed home, giving Narcissa time alone with the kids to bond with them. That left the two of them in the giant manor alone, so long as neither of them had to go to the office. Those Wednesdays were usually spent naked, sweating and shagging in various exotic locations around the manor.

“Did we ever decide what the elves were cooking for dinner?” Hermione asked as she wrapped the towel around her body and walked into their closet. As she pulled on some comfortable clothes, she could feel Draco watching her. Even two months into married life and she still couldn’t believe her luck.

“I believe that Tabitha requested steak and kidney pie and you know that those elves will deny her nothing. That little girl is well and truly spoiled. I’m surprised she doesn’t stink yet,” Draco chuckled, moving out of the door of the closet as Hermione moved to leave.

Hermione let her hair down out of the loose updo she’d had it in to keep it free of the water. “We are definitely mostly to blame for that. I’m just glad she’s started talking a little more over the last couple of months. Alright, let’s head to the library, that’ll be the first place they look.”

XxX

This wasn’t the first time that Draco had been pulled away from Hermione and the kids because of something happening at the office. He had found out in the first thirty minutes of the first time that he didn’t like it. Not one bit. He thoroughly enjoyed teaching Tabitha and Tobias all about wizarding culture. Though Tabitha wasn’t old enough to fully understand everything, she sat studiously beside her brother, looking as if she understood every word.

Draco had never pictured his life being this full or this warm, but he loved his life the way it was. On the mornings when it was his turn to teach, he would bring Hermione coffee in bed and give her a kiss on the head. The kids would come in after he opened the door, climb in the bed with Hermione and give her hugs and kisses, causing her to giggle. Then Draco would shoo them out of the bed and off to school in the library.

“Mr. Malfoy, I have some papers here for you to sign, to approve the purchase of Page and Cover, that Muggle printing press. As well as the papers to turn it into a magical press and conceal it from the Muggles.” Draco turned around in his chair, his eyes leaving the skyline view and looked at his secretary. This was the last piece of business he had to attend to today and he was so thankful. He was beyond ready to get back to Hermione and the kids.

He signed the pieces of parchment with a flourish, sticking his quill back into the inkwell, giving a fond smile to the Muggle Mont Blanc pen Hermione had given him for Christmas that was in a special stand that she’d also had made. “Thank you, Helena. If you need anything else, please owl me. I doubt I will be back in the rest of the week. Also, please make sure it is marked on the calendar that Hermione and I will be taking off the month of April. Everything is to be routed through my mother, Narcissa. She knows the inner workings of the company as well as I do, if there is anything that she doesn’t understand or feels uncomfortable making a decision on, she will get in contact with me.”

Helena gave Draco a nod, giving him a soft smile, “Yes, Mr. Malfoy. Congratulations again on your marriage to Hermione as well as your vow renewal coming up. I will see you next time, Mr. Malfoy. Have a good time the rest of the week, and tell those kiddos I said hello. They are so adorable.”

“Thank you again, Helena. For all that you do. I’ll see you one day next week.” Draco stood as Helena left out of the office, giving him a wave. He looked around his office once more and Disapparated home, to where he felt complete and happy.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hello my lovelies, here we are with another update of our lovely Say You Won't Let Go. I am also here to inform you that this is the last full chapter. The next chapter I post will be the epilogue. I want to thank you all for following along with me for this journey.**
> 
> **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**
> 
> **XoXo,**
> 
> **Elle.**

March had flown by and it was the morning of their vow renewal. Before their rushed wedding, Hermione hadn’t had the time to get nervous. Now there was a whole swarm of Billywigs fluttering around in her stomach and she couldn’t focus on anything. Ginny had forced a Calming Draught down Hermione’s throat because she had begun to panic. Hermione had known, in the back of her mind, that her anxiety was absurd. She and Draco were already married, bound by law and magic. Consummated by love. This wedding ceremony was just Draco’s way of spoiling Hermione, giving her the wedding she’d always dreamed of having. The wedding she’d gladly forfeited when Tabitha and Tobias had come into the picture. But of course, she wouldn’t be Hermione if she didn’t overthink things and have a panic attack.

“Hermione, it’s time, dear.” Narcissa said, sticking her head through the door. Hermione gave her mother-in-law a nod and small smile before turning her head to look over at Harry, her nerves flaring once again, even in spite of the draught. “I’m going to go and take my seat, Hermione. But the elves know when to start everything. It will all be perfect. I love you, sweetheart.” Hermione turned her head back to Narcissa just as she left the room.

Harry walked over and placed his hands on her bare shoulders. “Everything is going to be perfect. Just as Narcissa said. Besides, you said it yourself, this is just for show.”

He was right of course, Hermione had said that the whole thing was just for show. But it was so much more than that. “Right, just for show. Harry, don’t let me go. Please don’t let me go.” Tears began pooling in her eyes as she pleaded with Harry, wishing in that moment that her father was here. Hermione couldn’t help it. Her heart seized in her chest and her lungs began to tighten, restricting her ability to draw air into them. Dizziness swirled in her head. Her fingers began to struggle for purchase on Harry’s Muggle suit jacket.

Hermione would have to thank Harry later for tightening his grip on her upper arms and shaking her hard, staring into her eyes. “Hermione, stop it! You are freaking out for no damned reason. You are married to the wizard already, you have a family together. This. Is. Just. A. Show. A play. One of your romance novels. Whatever you want to believe it to be. I don’t know how it will be for you, because our roles were reversed and I’m a bloke, but the moment I saw Gin, all my nerves melted away. So we need to get your arse to the end of that aisle and set your sights on Draco. Let’s go.”

“Draco. Right.” Hermione nodded, taking a deep breath. She carefully wiped under her eyes and made sure Harry hadn’t messed up her hair when he’d rattled her brains around. Ginny would kill them both if he had. Harry opened the door of the room Narcissa had put her in to get ready and she stepped out. Her best friend stepped in next to her and offered his arm, which Hermione took gratefully and together they walked toward the doors at the end of the hallway.

“For the record, I’d never let you go. We may both be married and have our own families, but I’ll always have the time and a need for my best friend. You were there for me from the beginning and I'll be here for you until the very end. Now, let's get you down that aisle.” Harry leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Hermione sucked in a deep breath and began blowing it out slowly, stopping halfway through. “Hang on...did you just say ‘We may both be married and have our own families’?”

Harry looked as if he was trying to play it off, but his blush gave it away. “Bloody hell. Don't tell Gin I let it slip. She'll have my bollocks. She was going to tell you at the reception. We just found out this morning. But seriously, come on. We're late. Draco will come looking for you.”

Hermione laughed quietly and started walking with Harry, feeling relaxed and light-hearted at the news that Harry was finally getting a family of his own.

XxX

“Draco? What are you doing in here?” His mother called, opening the door to his father's study wider. It was the one room in the manor they hadn't touched. It had been too painful in the beginning and as time wore on, they'd just forgotten about it. But with the appearance and arrival of Evangeline and the kids, Lucius had been on Draco’s mind a lot, recently.

“I'm just thinking, Mother. Reminiscing. We should really clean out this room. Purge him from our lives. Completely.” Draco said, opening a drawer in the desk he was sitting behind. “I know he'll never truly be gone. He's a part of all of us, in one way or another. But having his things still here, it's like a stain or a shadow. Reflecting on the reason we're here today, having this wedding ceremony now, it reminded me of how badly I handled things. I shouldn't have bombarded you the way I did.” Draco sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair.

He heard a soft sigh leave his mother’s lips, “Draco, we shouldn't talk of such things now, not on a day like today. But I can tell it's eating away at you. I always knew, in the back of my mind, that Lucius was unfaithful.  Even so, finding out that all of my suspicions and fears through the years were indeed true was a kick to the stomach. While I understand that your sole focus was on the wellbeing of those precious children, it was a shock to be blindsided like that. I would have much rather had you explain it to me here, before bringing me to the Ministry. But things happened the way they did and we can't change them now.”

Draco had been rummaging through the drawer as his mother had been talking. He pulled free an old wizarding photograph and held it up, a frown marring his features. “Mum, look at this.”

Narcissa walked over to her son and leaned over Draco’s shoulder to look down at the square photograph. It was black and white and moving, as wizarding photos did. There was a young woman, with what could be any color hair, aside from blonde or black, holding a small bundle of blankets. A small newborn head just peeking out of the top, cradled in the crook of her arm. The woman’s head was craned upward, looking at the stern but regal wizard seated next to her with a loving smile on her face. Lucius was looking down at the baby with a proud smile on his face, as the loop of the picture played on, he lifted a hand and brought his fingers forward to caress the infant's cheek.

Draco threw the photograph onto the desk in disgust and looked up at his mother. She had tears in her eyes and Draco wanted to kill his father all over again. Even dead, he was still hurting her. “I hate him. He kept that tucked away, where he could look at it whenever he wanted. But do you see a picture like that from when I was born? No. Did he ever love us?”

“Draco, your father was a very complicated and calculating man. You and I both know that. When you were born, that was one of the proudest days of his life. Because he finally had someone to carry on the Malfoy line. As callous as that sounds. That was important to him. It was his family’s legacy. And he did love you, in his own way,” Narcissa said, reaching out to stroke his hair, straightening the mess he had made.

“But what about you? Did he ever love you?” Draco’s eyes fell to the photograph again, which had landed face down. The date had been written on the back, in fading ink. March 23, 1976. Another frown creased Draco’s brow as he looked at the year. “He couldn’t have. This was only a few years after you were married.”

Narcissa sighed once more, her fingers picking at an invisible piece of lint. “Our marriage was not a marriage of love. Our marriage was one of convenience, arranged by our parents for monetary gain, and to merge the powers of our bloodline. I loved him and he may have held an affection for me, in the beginning, but it did not take long for that spark to fade. But our marriage, imperfect though it may have been, gave me one thing I will never regret. You. Now, no more talk of these dreary and dark things. This is a day for happy thoughts. When you return, we'll clean this room and purify it. But let's go and give our Hermione the wedding of her dreams.”

Draco stood and wrapped his mother in his arms. Her slender hands slid up his back and patted the space between his shoulder blades. He kissed the top of her head, careful to barely touch her hair and took a deep, cleansing breath. His mother was right, after all. They had had each other to lean on for so many years. Now they had three more. Their life hadn’t been easy, but they had finally caught their break and had their turn around. Things were going in the right direction. Hermione and those kids had brought a light into their life. Draco and Narcissa would be forever in their debt.

The mother and son left the office behind and made their way to the altar. Draco took his place, Blaise standing behind him. The moment the double doors of the dining room opened, he looked up, and his heart seized in his chest, his breath halted in his lungs. Hermione was simply the most stunning creature he’d ever seen on this earth.

XxX

The doors opened and Hermione’s eyes took in the beautiful spring scene before them. There were colorful flowers everywhere, all along the aisle, petals spread along the walkway. But as her gaze followed the path the lilac carpet carved, her eyes met a pair of shiny dragonhide loafers and followed them up the slender legs. A wide smile spread across her lips, making her cheeks begin to hurt as her eyes connected with Draco's.

She tore her eyes away for a few moments to look at her children. Tobias was standing next to Draco, dressed just like his uncle and looking just like a miniature version of him. She and Harry were nearing closer and she heard Tobias turn his head up and speak to Draco, “She looks beautiful, Papa.” That made Hermione’s eyes water. Recently, they had come to an agreement that Tobias would call Draco Papa, the French endearment for father. It made Tobias feel more comfortable and less like he was replacing his dad.

Hermione then turned her eyes over to Ginny, where she held Tabitha on her hip. Hermione’s smile widened once more when Tabitha waved wildly at her and began calling for her. “Mummy!”

“Hi Princess.” There was a rumble of laughter from the crowd at the exchange.

Hermione and Harry finally arrived at the altar and Harry handed her off to Draco, giving Hermione a kiss on the cheek. “Remember, just for show. Love you, Mi.”

The ceremony was both a blur and clear as glass. Hermione could remember every detail of it clearly, but couldn’t believe it was already over. She was sitting at the head table under an open canopy, next to Draco. The kids were running around on the dance floor, playing with Teddy, whose violet hair was shining in the fairy lights.

“We should get them together to play more often,” Draco said, leaning over to whisper into her ear. Hermione grinned and gave a nod of her head.

She leaned into her husband and took a sip of her wine to wash down the piece of cake she’d been chewing. “We should. Tobias is only a year older than Teddy. It’ll be good for Teddy to have a friend when he gets to school. Speaking of kids, Ginny and Harry are having a baby, though I’m supposed to wait for her to tell me. Harry let it slip when I was having a freak out.”

“When you were having a what?” Draco asked, raising a brow.

Hermione marveled for a moment at how perfectly manicured Draco was, all without intervention. She then waved away his question, “I was just having a small panic attack about the ceremony is all. Just wedding day jitters. I promise, everything was fine. Harry calmed me down, like he always has been able to. Anyway, I can talk to Andromeda about bringing Teddy around. I'm sure mum would like that. Give her a chance to get to know her sister again.” Hermione waved away the previous track their conversation had taken with her change of subject.

She was glad when Draco took the direction, though she could tell the subject was far from over. “Yeah, she would like that. Especially while we're gone on our honeymoon.”

“I'm nervous about leaving,” Hermione began to chew on the corner of her lip, her eyes locking on the kids.

“Mum can handle it, love. But I understand. We've only had them for four months. My nerves are on edge as well, I don't want something to go wrong while we're gone. I know we're only going to be an Apparition point away, but it's still terrifying to think about what could happen in a split second.” Draco leaned in to give her a kiss and smiled. “But we can't think like that. Mum has plenty of experience with children. I was a handful and they are nothing like I was. Come on, time for our dance.”

Hermione didn't want to dance. She was full, and her feet hurt from the shoes. The cushioning charm had worn off and her nerves were mounting as it came closer to time for them to leave. Leaving the children was a big stressor for Hermione. She and Draco were only going to London for the week, but it still seemed so far away. But she allowed Draco to pull her to the dance floor as the song they had chosen came on.

Draco leaned down for a kiss, his lips brushing against hers as they formed the words to the song. Hermione couldn't help but smile against the velvet softness of his lips. Her arms draped around his neck as Draco pulled her in close. “Everything will be fine, right?”

She felt Draco’s hand come to rest just above her arse and smiled, leaning her head on his chest for a moment before meeting his eyes. “Everything will be just fine.” Hermione needed that reassurance. She truly did. But she also needed the feel of Draco’s arms around her.

XxX

The rest of the evening passed by all too quickly. The guests had left, only the Potters and Andromeda remaining behind to help clean up. Hermione had talked to Andromeda earlier about setting up some playdates for Teddy and Tobias, and Andromeda had agreed. She was also going to stay the night with her sister.

Harry and Ginny were making their way over to the couple, smiles on their faces. “Alright, Malfoy. It's time for me to return the favor.” Harry held out a keychain, a single brass key hanging from the ring. “Hermione has been there once before and hopefully remembers all the charms and wards she put up. The place is yours for the week.”

Hermione watched as Draco took the key from her best friend and the two exchanged a glance. It was hard to believe they'd come so far. But when Draco had thrown Harry his wand at the final battle, it had saved Harry’s life -- something everyone in Harry’s life was eternally grateful for. “Thank you, Harry.” Hermione moved from Draco’s side to give Harry a hug and then moved on to hug Ginny, talking excitedly about the pregnancy. She was giving Harry and Draco a moment to talk, knowing that even after several years, they were still awkward around each other.

“They will be great friends one day. The longer they're around each other, the easier it will be.” Ginny said quietly in Hermione’s ear.

Hermione nodded with a smile. “Oh, I know. It's nice to see them finally get along, though, isn't it. How's Ron? I was thinking of asking him to lunch when we get back.”

Ginny gave Hermione another smile, “He's doing well. Daphne has really turned him around, he actually closes his mouth when he chews now. I bet he'd like that, he's been asking about you. He misses you, the friendship you had.”

“I miss it too, Gin. I'm more than ready to have that friendship back, now. It's past-" Hermione was interrupted by the sound of small feet running in their direction.

“Mummy! Mummy!” Tabitha was running toward Hermione, her hair flying. Her eyes were wide with fear.

Hermione bent down and scooped the little girl up, “Hello Princess. What's wrong?”

“Toby said you go bye bye. You and Daddy.” Tabitha said, hiding her face in Hermione’s neck.

“Oh, my princess. My poor princess. We are going bye bye, but only for a few days. You're going to stay with Gram and Auntie Dromeda. Even Teddy is going to stay and play. It's going to be lots of fun. Daddy and I will be back before you know it.” Hermione’s heart was breaking. She knew that something like this might happen and she should have been better prepared for it. Truly, she'd been hoping that Tabitha would have been asleep by now.

She and Draco had been explaining it to the kids over the last few weeks. But it was asking a lot for a two year old to comprehend. “You come back?”

Hermione kissed her head and nodded, “Absolutely, princess. Your Daddy and I could never leave you and your brother. You two mean the world to us."

Draco had joined them by this time, kissing Tabitha’s head as well. “That's right, Princess. And when we come back, you'll have lots of surprises. Now, let's go and find your brother so that we can say goodbye to him.”

The family moved through the empty ballroom, following the sounds of childish laughter. No doubt Teddy and Tobias had started wandering the many halls. When they finally found them, Draco sent Teddy back to his grandmother and Hermione found them a sitting room.

“It's time for you to go?” Tobias asked when he settled in between Hermione and Draco.

“Yeah, bud, it is time for us to go. But we'll be back before you know it. Have you had fun with Teddy tonight?” Draco asked him, smiling over at Hermione.

Tobias gave an enthusiastic nod, “Yes. Teddy is lots of fun. Grams said he's my cousin, is that true?”

Draco chuckled and gave a nod, “Yes, it is true, in a sense. But we don't have to get into that. Aunt Dromeda is staying the night tonight and if he wants, Teddy can sleep with you in your room. Is there anything you two might want from London?”

The kids began to list off some things that they wanted, and Hermione committed them to memory with a chuckle. “Not asking for much, are we? We'll see what we can do. I'll miss you both so very much.” Hermione squeezed Tabitha’s body on her lap tightly, kissing her curls as Draco said goodbye to Tobias, before passing her over to Draco.

Tobias climbed his way into Hermione’s lap and slid his arms around her neck, fingers twirling into her hair. “I'll miss you a lot.”

“I'll miss you too, my Prince. But we'll be back before you know it and you'll have so much fun with Teddy.” Hermione smoothed his hair down. “How about we go find Teddy? See what he's up to. I bet he's bored all by himself with Grams and Aunt Dromeda.”

The small family stood from the couch, Tabitha clinging to Draco, her head laid on his shoulder as they walked through the manor, in search of Narcissa, Andromeda and Teddy.

When they found them, Draco and Hermione said their goodbyes to the women and went to their room to change clothes and gather their things. “You sure being gone from them the whole week is a good idea?” Hermione asked, her eyes still damp with tears.

“Hermione, they will be fine. We'll owl them every night. Even fire call if you want. It'll all turn out right. Finish up here, I'm going to fire call Elle and make sure the last safe house was made unplottable, like it was scheduled to be.” Draco leaned down to kiss Hermione and smiled. “I promise, it's going to be perfect. I'll be right back.”

Hermione walked into the closet, moving to her side and pulled out a drawer. There, laying on top, was the lingerie set that she and Ginny had picked out for tonight. She quickly stripped and slid into it, before changing into a pair of muggle jeans and jumper. When Draco returned, she was ready and they apparated away to begin their honeymoon in London.


	26. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: Hello my loves. This is it. My baby is complete. The story has come to an end and I can't begin to thank y'all enough for sticking with me. I'll spare you the long spiel. But seriously, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.**
> 
> **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**
> 
> **XoXo,**
> 
> **Elle.**

Four Years Later - September 1, 2005

“Mum! Cassius is trying to eat my wand!” Tobias’ voice rang through the manor and Draco laughed softly as he left Tabitha’s room to follow the echo.

“I've got it, love. You just finish getting Tabby ready to go. We've got to leave soon, or he'll be late,” Draco called over his shoulder as he left.

He could hear Hermione groan in the background as she bent over to tie Tabby’s shoe. Their little princess hadn't quite managed that, even at almost six years old. “Please make sure Tobias has everything packed. And put a timed locking charm on Zorro’s cage. I don't want that owl getting out and flying around King’s Cross. I don't understand how a bird can be so damned smart as to know how to pick a lock.”

“Will do, love!” Draco yelled from down the hall. He turned the corner into Tobias’ personal library. “Cass, give your brother his wand. They are not playthings.” The little boy with Draco’s grey eyes, platinum blond hair, and Hermione's dark skin and curls looked up at him with a mischievous grin. Draco knew that look -- he was going to run for it. Draco immediately whispered a spell, his hand having already been on his wand. Cassius floated into the air, giggling as his arms and legs flailed wildly. “Cassius Blaise Malfoy. I will not tell you again. Wands are not toys, you will give Tobias back his wand and you will not pick it up again. Or so help me, I will find a way to turn you into a squib.”

He watched as his youngest son’s smile turned into a pout and lowered Cassius back to the ground. The child was a devil in the flesh, a hellion on two feet, wickedly smart for two years old. But Draco supposed that's what you got when you crossed the Malfoy bloodline with the brightest witch of their age. Merlin help them all when Cassius entered Hogwarts. Hopefully Tabby could keep him in hand while she was there.

Cassius held out the Hornbeam wand to Tobias and ran off crying, no doubt to find Hermione. Tobias sighed and tucked his wand into the holder Hermione had made for him on the band of his Muggle jeans. “He took it right out of my holster.”

“It's okay, bud. We all know what a little troublemaker he is. You've got everything packed? Even your lucky Hippogriff feather? You know, they're starting Quidditch tryouts at first year this year.” Draco grinned down at the boy. He'd grown a lot over the last four years, having just turned eleven in July. Draco had taught him how to fly, how to catch the Snitch, and even how to play the other positions as well, just in case seeking wasn't his talent. Tobias enjoyed the sport in general and said he'd be happy in any position.

Tobias pointed to his open trunk and grinned. “Right on top. But do we really have to use school brooms as first years? I heard they were lousy old Nimbus 2001s. They don't even make Nimbuses any more.” His nose turned up then. He wasn't happy with having to leave his Firebolt Excelsior behind.

Draco chuckled quietly, a quick memory surfacing of when those Nimbus 2001 brooms were bought. “You do. But I heard a rumor that the school's entire fleet had been replaced this year by an anonymous donor.” Of course, the general public would think it was anonymous. The headmistress would know better. Draco couldn't help it. Perhaps part of his father did still influence him -- only the best for his kids. “Now, if you're finished, lock up your trunk. I've got to lock up Zorro’s cage. Your mum would hex me if I forget.”

“But I already locked it….” Tobias trailed off and Draco looked over to see him grinning. “Oh...you don't want him escaping on the train.”

“No, we don't. You know how snippy he can get around strangers. I just hope he doesn't mutilate the other students’ owls or the school owls. I swear, he has it out for everyone and thing but this family. I guess that's a good thing.” Draco leaned down to look at the jet black owl in the cage. Its piercing green eyes stared intently at Draco as it gave a soft hoot. “Yeah, we love you too, Z.”

XxX

A rough three hours later, the tired and road-weary Malfoy family were arriving at King's Cross Station. Cassius was screaming in the backseat as the car stopped and Draco looked about ready to throw a silencing spell at him. But Hermione turned to her youngest child and silenced him with a look. Cassius had the nerve to look chagrined. “You know better than to act that way. I know you don't like those straps on that seat. But you have to wear them. It's the law.”

Draco had gotten out of the car to get Tobias’ things from the boot, and the two older kids were filing out now. Hermione unbuckled her belt and made her way from the car with some effort, twisting and turning to get through the door. The car next door had parked too close to the line, which meant it was going to be hard for her to get Cassius out. “Draco, babe. You couldn’t have gone around to another spot? It’s too close over here. You're going to have to get him out. There's not enough room.”

“I've got him, love.” Draco smiled understandingly at her frustration and opened the door on his side and wandlessly freed Cassius from his child seat. Cassius was climbing across to him in a heartbeat and out of the car. Hermione laughed and shook her head as she stood at the rear of the car with Tobias and Tabby.

“Should we go and get a trolley first? For your trunk?” Hermione asked Tobias.

The boy shook his blond curls and smiled up at Hermione, “No, mum. Papa and I got the one with wheels and it's light as a charm."

Hermione was confused for a moment, but caught on, remembering. The trunk was made with lightening and some extending charms. “Oh, right. Well then, let's go. We only have half an hour to get onto the platform.”

The young family made their way to the train station, looking every bit the normal family in their Muggle clothing, except for the menacing black owl in the cage that Tabitha was carrying. Thankfully, though, Hermione had thought to put a Muffliato on the cage as well.

The walk through the station was a crowded one and they could see several other wizarding families weaving their way through the muggles. At the entrance to Platform 9 ¾ , the families were milling about, seemingly waiting for their trains on either platforms nine or ten. But in reality, they were waiting on their turn to enter.

When it was the Malfoys’ turn, Hermione turned to a nervous-looking Tobias and smiled. “Did you see how the other families were doing it?” While she waited for him to nod, she ran her fingers through his hair. “Good. I'll send your Papa through first with Cass. Watch him close. Then I'll follow through with Tabitha. Alright?”

“Okay, mum.” Tobias replied, the nervous causing his voice to waver. Hermione could understand. She was nervous her first time through onto the platform, too. She nodded to Draco, who gave Tobias a wink as he walked calmly and briskly at the brick barrier, passing right through without a problem.

Hermione could see Tobias swallow visibly before he gave her a nervous look and took off at a near jog. Soon, he hit the barrier and disappeared, just as Draco had. “Alright, Princess. Our turn.” She squeezed Tabby’s hand and walked them toward the barrier. The familiar sensation of warm water passed over her, and she heard the whistle of the Hogwarts Express echoing loudly around the platform.

The boys were nowhere in sight, but she knew they were probably on the train, putting Tobias’ trunk in a compartment. Hermione bent to the side and kissed Tabitha’s head before grunting in discomfort. “Okay, little guy, I hear ya. Wrong way.” She gave her large stomach a rub.

“Everything okay, mummy?” Tabitha looked up at Hermione, her small hand coming to rest on Hermione's swollen stomach, right where her little brother had been kicking. She'd always had a connection with her little brother and could get him to calm down when Hermione or Draco couldn't -- even when Hermione was having vicious bouts of morning sickness.

“He just didn't like the way I bent over. That's all.” She smiled at Tabby. “What are we going to name him? Hmm?” Hermione and Draco had discussed naming their newest addition. When they'd named Cassius, it had been a family affair. Everyone had been in on it. But it had been largely Tobias’ choice and in the end, they had went with one of his names. So Hermione thought that the choice should be Tabby’s and Draco agreed.

Tabitha pressed the side of her face to Hermione’s stomach and wrapped her arms as far as they would go around Hermione’s waist. “I think I like Elijah.”

“Elijah sounds like a good, strong name, Princess,” Draco called as he and the boys arrived back from the train. “Tobias, what do you think? Do you like Elijah?”

Tobias came over to place his hand next to his sister’s head and smiled up at Hermione. “I think Elijah is great!” Just then the whistle sounded again and he jumped, a slightly panicked look filling his eyes.

Hermione smiled down at her precious boy. “I know it's scary, my Prince. But trust me, this will be the most fun and important day of your life. It will change everything, for the better. Make friends, have fun and be yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, mum.” Tobias wrapped his arms around Hermione’s rounded belly and hugged her tightly. Then he looked up with worry. “But what about when the baby is born?”

“We've already arranged that with Headmistress McGonagall. Your Papa or Uncle Harry will send her an owl and she's going to Floo you to St. Mungo’s. You'll be there for his arrival. I promise.” Hermione carefully bent over and kissed Tobias’ forehead. “Don't fret, my Prince. Have a great first term, we will see you at Christmas. Or when Elijah decides to make his appearance. Whichever happens first.”

Tobias nodded at her and stood on his toes to hug her neck and kiss her cheek before walking over to hug Tabby. Hermione stood by Draco, smiling as the two siblings exchanged a few quiet words. “I can't imagine our lives without them,” Draco said quietly, adjusting a now sleeping Cassius on his shoulder.

“I can't either. They have been such a gift to us. I'm going to miss him so much, Draco. That's a piece of my heart getting on that train in a few minutes. What am I going to do without him at home?” Hermione asked, one hand resting over her heart, the other rubbing her stomach.

Draco chuckled quietly, “You'll soon have a newborn to look after. You'll be so busy you won't know which way is up.”

They both watched as Tobias kissed a crying Tabby on the forehead and hugged her tight, as another warning whistle echoed around the platform. Draco passed Cassius to Hermione, performing a feather light charm on him first, to make it easier on Hermione. She watched as he walked over to the young boy who was growing up on them. Tabby walked over to Hermione and wrapped her arms around her mum’s waist as best she could and cried into her side as Hermione stroked her hair. “It's going to be okay, Princess. You'll see him in a few months.”

Draco crouched down, coming eye level with Tobias and began talking to him quietly. The hustle and bustle around them made it impossible for Hermione to hear what they were saying, but she knew Draco was giving him a pep talk. After a few minutes, Draco rose, ruffled Tobias’ hair and sent him on his way to the train.

Hermione’s heart leapt into her throat and she kept stroking Tabby’s hair as Draco resumed his spot beside her and took Cassius back. “He'll be fine, love. And for the record, he thinks he'll be in Ravenclaw.” Hermione could only nod, the lump in her throat too thick to speak through as Tobias looked back to wave at them from the doorway of the train. She waved at him and blew him a kiss, her heart squeezing in her chest as her eyes filled with tears. Her whisper floated through the air. 

“I love you, my little Prince. Until I'm grey and old.”

The end.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I hope y'all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please review and let me know how much you loved it!
> 
> XoXo,
> 
> Elle.


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